Changing Attitudes
by Ghengis
Summary: A diverse romance spawned from incompetent security? Need I be any more vague? AsukaElricShinjiMayaReiMisatoKajiRitsukoSinister Mana? How's this going to play out? Comedy Violence Drama Romance Conspiracy. ignore the 1st chapter please...
1. Intro

**_Current Note _** Anyways this story starts out pretty silly, but it will divert into becoming a more thoughtful story with a slow transition to the drama and conspiracy elements of the Evangelion tale, starting more so in the 6 and 7th chapters with the introduction of my character into the fray, and eventually probably Mana Kirishima. In abouts chapter 11, the blood will start to flow seriously whilst still keeping some comedic characteristics. If anyone has any insight feel free to drop and email OR A FREAKING REVIEW! But ya, I'll rewrite this horrid first chapter eventually, honestly I wrote it because it was in the way of 2 and 3.

Reviews are my primary motivation for keeping up progress in the writing. 2500 people have read this thing with only 66 reviews. Tut Tut, naughty childrens. You know, for the precious minutes of reading pleasure, you could drop me a review off whatever you like as thanks. Flames are accepted, but not from retards like tbm. You're just dumb. ANYWAYS 

Hey this is my first Eva fan-fic! PLEASE REVIEW! Hmm some things bout me and the story. Okay This story takes place right after the volcano mission where Shinji saves asuka from her doom and this is the first time they've seen another since they got home. Argg excuse my writing this first chapter sucks but the 2nd and 3rd are good! Also my Eva fan-fic writer idol is! RANDOM1337 he is freaking awesome period. Best Eva writer out there! It would be an honor if he read this. Oh yah And I don't own Evangelion, gainax does.

**Changing Attitudes Chapter 1**

**Chapter 1: Intro**

It was back to normal. Or at least as normal could get for Shinji Ikari. If it wasn't weird already that he lived in a super fortress, known as Tokyo-3. He was a 16-year old with the burden of defending the human race against the angels in his EVA Unit 01. Basically a robot designed for one reason in mind, to destroy the angels. His job was fighting the angels bent on wiping out our species. His pay, his life and the hope that the human race may live to see another day. He wasn't really selfish in the fact that he really didn't care, he just had problems, for example Eva it's self. He hated it, just the thought of 01 made his body curl. The pain he had endured from it, both mental and physical was wearing him down to a nub. He knows his father sees him as nothing more than a tool anyways. But he is used to getting used by people ever since his mom died and his father left him for dead. Since then, he had never really thought of himself as a whole real person.

"Shinji where is my lunch!" yelled by a slightly irritated voice.

That voice definitatly belonged to Asuka, his housemate and fellow pilot. Better known as the German devil. Although he felt a bit strange from the way she said it though. But there she stood now, the self-proclaimed Great Asuka Langley Sorhyu stood now only a meter away looking at him cock-eyed.

She was definitely one of the hottest girls in all Tokyo-3, and all the boys in their class had been vying for her attention ever since she got there. She done everything from collecting photos of her to filling her locker with love letters. Asuka of course being Asuka just laughed at them all, citing them as perverted idiots. Of course they probably wouldn't be so desperate for her attention if they knew like Shinji knew her, lucky them. A shiver went up his spine.

'Funny I didn't hear her get up of even take a shower, yet here she is ready to go a although she isn't as irritating as usual. She hasn't hit me yet. She hasn't even demanded a breakfast, something's off.'

"It's right behind you Asuka."

"Oh thanks," she said with a smile and giggled slightly.

He froze, 'She smiled?' He know knew for sure something was amiss. She smiled and it wasn't a reaction to something that happened to me. Usually she would have at least struck him by now citing that he must have been dreaming something perverted about her and called him a baka idiot. But instead she simply took up her and moved over to the door.

"Hey, Shinji aren't you coming to school with me?"

"Oh yah, I'll be ready in just a second Asuka."

She hadn't gotten violent or whiney at all this morning. He considered asking her if anything was wrong because nice just isn't Asuka. Although as soon he opened his mouth to speak he quickly revised that she might offense to it, still he wondered, she wasn't being the German red-headed bitch today. She was being almost kind and courteous to him and even almost happy to see this morning. Though they hadn't seen each other since the volcano mission. They left the apartment together after Shinji had collected his books. 'Should I bring my SDAT? Nah, I don't think I'll need it today,' he thought with a smile. They walked in silence to their school, though not an unpleasant one. Shinji began to notice her shoulders were relaxed and she didn't mind that he was walking side by side with her, instead of his usual 5 steps behind.

'Whoa, what's up with her today.' But ultimately he decided to not question it, citing he rather just enjoy it while it lasted. He wondered what else this day bring.

'Hey wait a sec, where Misato? Was she even home this morning?' he thought. Then with out any warning Asuka ran a bit ahead of him and spun around in front of him with a smile. He shuddered to a stop almost walking into to her but she didn't mind. She just made eye contact with him and then she started to speak.


	2. THE GREAT SHINJI PANIC!

Okay this is the second chapter that picks up immediately after the 1st. Im going to be revising these all soon. So if you don't like but kinda like it check back in a week and hopefully it'll be better. Hey and chap 3 should be up in a few days. Random1337 is still my idol. Im still a lazy bastard loser in high school. And I still don't own Evangelion, gainax does. Damn them!  
  
"I killed it!"  
  
"Killed what?"  
  
"The angel dummkopf," she smiled," not you!"  
  
"I know Asuka. You did it all by yourself" He wondered why she was bringing this up. 'Self-assurance?'  
  
"Good, just making sure you knew that baka, I killed it not you, which means I get all the credit."  
  
"Asuka everyone knows you're the best anyway, you've got the highest sync rate scores." he said tiredly, tired that she never lets this kind of stuff go. 'Why do I care?'  
  
"Damn right I do."  
  
"So why are you bringing it up?" Her face contorted trying to understand why she did bring it up. 'She must not know, heh.'  
  
"Whatever," she sneered. They started walking again, but in relative silence. Aside from the noise that's the super-fortress slash mega-city Tokyo-3; passing cars, walking signals and Eva sockets that beeped when people got too close. But it wasn't really an uncomfortable silence. She was being nice enough today, even courteous, maybe even a bit playful. He had rarely seen her like this before and chose to enjoy it while it lasts. Although that last bit was a bit. off. She looked somewhat tense and obviously deep in thought about something, Shinji could only imagine what. He was wondering though why she had brought up the subject of her victory in the first place though. He continued with his reasoning in his mind until he was interrupted once again.  
  
" Sorry," she said quickly, maybe a bit harsh too, but Shinji couldn't detect it.  
  
" What?" he said.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Oh um.. for what?" he said confused? She tensed and fumbled with her hands.  
  
"I, err, um, "she threw down her hands and ran in the opposite direction. Shinji just stood there where he was before. He was looking at her cock-eyed as she moved down the walk. "What the?"  
  
---  
  
" Err," Asuka growled and slammed the door of their apartment door. 'Why the hell couldn't I say it, what's wrong with me! I had the perfect opportunity and I blew just like that! Stupid baka Shinji! Why couldn't I just say it!' She hit her hands on the counter. "Ow, mein Gott in Himmel this is so stupid!" She looked over her hand and it had a red ring and she looked down. She had smashed one of Misato's beer cans. She looks at it with distaste. "Japanese crap, they call this shiesse beer?" She grabbed one of Misato's near finished cans and drank what was left in a swallow. 'Well it's not so bad for foreign crap and it's the only stuff I can get here.' She looked around her apartment to check to see if Misato was still there. She checked her room. She slid the door open. 'It still bothers me that they don't have locks on their doors. Ugh, disgusting lady, how can she live in this filth?' Her room was covered everywhere and every corner in something or  
P.2 another. Empty beer cans, clothes dirty and clean, and crusty cups of discarded chicken ramen.' If she's so lazy then why doesn't she just have Shinji clean it up for her? It's not like he has the spine to say no.' She hit herself on the forehead. 'Why do I keep torturing him like this? What is wrong with me?'  
  
She had never really had this kind family before. 'Family? I consider them my family? No, it just slipped I'm sure of it.' But still she was having trouble sorting out what she thought about Shinji. 'What an enigma, he is such a loser spineless wimp, but when he's in Eva it's like he a different person. He strong and ferocious and brave, fearless against the threat of the angels, how does he do it?' She loved that side of him when he got like that. She had been secretly vying to pull out that side of him into the open. 'But why is he such a wimp outside of Eva, always apologizing for things that aren't even his fault. It pisses me off! Its almost like breathing is a crime for that idiot. But he almost never at fault, it usually me to blame, yet all he wants is my forgiveness. He must be doing some secret hentai things behind my back though. He's probably at school thinking about my gorgeous body right now, Baka hentai. But no matter how much I yell at him or hit him all he is nice to me afterwards.' She drifted away from Misato's room and back to the kitchen in her thinking. And before she knew it she had an ice-cold beer in her hand. 'Whoa, how did that happen?' She shrugged and looked at the can. ' Yebisu Beer.' She pooped the tab and heard the crisp open and poured it passed her lips. 'It's not like I mean to be mean to him.' She brought the can back up to her mouth for another drink. She starts drinking it like a fish and water.  
  
The day for Shinji at school was boring, eventless as usual, like everyday. Toji was asleep and Kensuke was too involved in something on his computer. And the sensei was rambling on about the post-second impact economic collapse. Rei was stoic as usual as well, just looking outside the window. Nothing he really cared about except for the Rei thing. He just spent the day staring out the window searching for the answer to the question that plagued him since he got to Tokyo-3. 'Just what the hell is Rei staring at?' But his thinking was cut short as a chime was heard, signaling the end of school. "Stand up, bow, dismissed!" promptly followed it and people starting shuffled out of the room. He shambled to his feet with books in hand. Toji stirred and woke up from Kensuke pushing. Shinji himself was pretty tired and was going straight home. He would've slipped away unnoticed but Toji did a quick scan of the room and caught him before he could get away.  
  
"Hey Shin-man where ya going?"  
  
Shinji gulped. 'Crap, thought too soon.'" I was just gonna go home."  
  
"Why we were gonna go to arcade!"  
  
"I'm just kinda tired, must sleep."  
  
"So, just get a caffeine fix while we're there man! Come on. You don't wanna go home to that devil do ya?"  
  
'Hmm, is that where Asuka has been? She definitely didn't come here. I wonder.' "Nah, I'm just gonna home, and besides I doubt she's there anyways."  
  
" Ahhh, fine have it your way." He finally gave up. " See ya later Shin-man."  
  
" Ya see ya later Shinji," muttered Kensuke who was once again absorbed on his computer.  
P.3 " Bye then." Shinji said tiredly and then yawned. He finally could get out of this place and get home. He proceeded to move out of the room, leaving his friends behind. Being clear of any obstacles he started getting back to thinking while making his way home. ' I wonder why Asuka ran away from me today. She didn't show up for class either. Maybe I should find her or something and see if something is wrong. Nothing really seemed off this morning with her when it happened.'" Ooof." He had accidentally walked into a heavy trash can. " Urg, must walk in straight line." His thinking was getting him off track, like not to walk into things. Although his curiosity to Asuka's behavior today may be answered soon. As he came up the his apartment's door he remembered something, " Oh crap! I forgot my keycard!" Oh crap!" Although he remembered, 'Hey maybe Asuka is home, she could open the door for me.' So he knocked on the door. There was no answer. 'Crap.' Though he felt like there was still a chance she was there. He put his ear up to the door to listen in for any signs of activity. He could definitely hear the TV was on. So he knocked on the door again, abit more loudly though. He waited patiently for about twenty seconds when he heard the latch unlock and the door opened. He immediately started walking inside. " I knew you were here Asuka, look where were you ahhh ooof." He tripped, over something furry, moving and very upset.  
  
" WARK!!" A very angry penguin roared as it was being smashed.  
  
" Oh, Pen-Pen I'm so sorry I thought you were Asuka! Forgive me"  
  
" Wark! Not accepting his apology. He waddled madly off to his personal refrigerator. He slapped the button and the door opened with a whoosh and he disappeared inside of it.  
  
Shinji took a look around the apartment, particularly the table. 'Wow, I didn't think Misato drank THAT much beer in the morning.' There were at least 13 empty cans scattered about the tan table, jeez. How does she go to work like that?' He sighed, he had given up trying to understand her drinking habits all long time ago. 'She drinks that stuff like people drink water.' And for the most part he was right. He moved across the room to turn off the television Pen-Pen left on in his anger. 'Well, I guess I'd might get angry like that too if someone walked right on and over me like that too. He picked the room off the couch and hit the power button. 'I wonder though if Asuka is here still.'  
  
He quietly tip-toed over to her room. 'Why am I tip-toeing? If anything she would have already heard me and Pen-Pen. I'm such an idiot sometimes.' He gently cracked her door open and checked to see if she was in there, she wasn't. 'Hmmm, I wonder where she could be then. Ah well so much for talking to her.' He turned around from her door and immediately encountered his. For a fleeting moment he smiled,' Sleep, good.' He opened his door and step inside sliding the door shut behind him. He stumbled over to his bed, in truth he wasn't really tired, just stressed. Life as an Eva pilot wasn't a peaceful one in the least. There was always the looming threat and the burden of the survival of the human race on his shoulders. Plus the people that surrounded him and his past didn't help either. Sleep was kind of a way to help him get away from it. It helped him regulate his stress.  
  
He drifted over to his bed and collapsed on his bed not caring to take anything off. He gave a deep sigh, that pain in his neck was coming back again. But it went away as fast as it came. He rubbed his eyes and turned over. But now that his hand had been thrown over his body he could feel something warm in his palm. It was pretty big and soft too. He grasped it in his hand trying to figure out what it was without opening his eyes. But he was failing. It flexed and expanded and quickly contracted letting off a gentle coo. It contorted and it was now half-draped over his body, it was warm and heavy. His curiosity got the better of him. He opened his eyes and saw the last thing he'd ever expected. And if his mind was correct on its thinking, probably the last thing he'd ever see as well.  
  
She felt something attach itself to her. But it was warm and without even thinking she tried to get closer to the source, it felt good. She twisted her body sideway so that she could hopefully feel it better. But it had made her alert though. She wasn't asleep just drowsy and a bit tipsy. She opened her eyes and saw blue. Blue around black. White around blue around black. It was really blurry, she tried to make it out. She pressed her eyes together to clear up the fog in her eyes. They were. eyes. "Shinji?" he gulped. He was wide awake now.  
  
"Asuka," he said nervously, he knew he was trekking on dangerous territory now even though it was his room, "what are you doing in my bed?"  
  
"." In her mind she didn't even hear him. "Shinji!" she grabbed him and embraced him, hard. But she was so drunk that she accidentaly hit him in the face. twice before being able to lift her arm over his neck and hold him. She held onto him very tightly not wanting him to leave. "Thank goodness you're here Pen-Pen , ah, I mean Shinji. *Hiccup*." As she was holding on to him, his mind was in overdrive and overheating fast. He was going insane with fear and showed it. Although he started to get his shaking body under control.  
  
'Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me!' his mind schrieked.  
  
"Shinji."  
  
'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die.'  
"I'm so sorry!"  
  
'Wait, what?' his mind froze.  
  
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" Usually in this kind of situation Shinji would be the one apologizing, or at least definitely not Asuka. His fear was becoming laced with confusion. He was still extremely nervous at the fact that she who could beat him within an inch of his life on a whim was clinging to him. She started to cry on him. 'This has got to be a trick.' She shaked against him abit. "Eeeep!" he shrieked.  
  
"Shinji, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't what!"  
  
"No, what did you do?"  
  
A snap happened in her mind. 'He doesn't know! Doesn't he mind how I treat him all the time!' "For I treated you dummkopf!"  
  
"Um, oh ya I forgive you." He said confused but understanding a bit better. He tried to smiled face struck with fear to a contorted smile.  
  
'Just like that, I've done way too much for that!' "That's not enough! What can I do for your forgiveness?"  
  
P.5 "You don't have to do anything!" He smiled, a true bright smile, he was beginning to forget the very delicate situation he was in. What with the two teens being in his room. On his bed, one of them in a little less than what would be appropriate and probably wasted. In a very compromising position.  
  
"No, no I have to do something! Please tell me!" He was getting confused again. What could he possibly tell her? The perverted side of his brain decided to make its entrance at this point. His eyes strayed down ward, he could see her breasts pushing out of her shirt. He gulped and quickly averted his eyes to where they were supposed to be. No way, he knew he didn't want that and would never try to take advantage of her so he quickly dropped that line of thinking no how tempting it was. "Shinji I've done so much to you that you didn't deserve, please let me make it up to you!" He thought of something. It didn't really ask of anything from her that would be he wouldn't feel bad about and it wasn't unreasonable at all.  
  
"Well Asuka there isn't much I'd want from you so. I'll forgive if you if your just nicer from now on okay?"  
  
She looked up at him speechless. "Um, Okay." 'He's so nice, I treat him like shit and he just smiles back and says that everything is alright. I don't deserve this!' She releases fresh tears but Shinji wipes them away for her. She just buries her head on his chest. He finally returns the embrace without fear that it's a trick.  
  
"Have you been here all day Asuka?"  
  
" *Sniffle*, yah."  
  
"Do you want something to eat?" She raises her head near his.  
  
"No, let's just stay like this for a while," she says delicately. Although Shinji couldn't determine whether it was a request or demand but he was fine with it all the same.  
  
"Ah, okay." She puts her head back down.  
  
'Whoa, her breath is pretty deadly right now. Though its smells familiar like, like. alcohol.' He froze, he was getting very nervous, very fast. 'Oh my God what is she going to do to me when she sobers up? Holy crap! Will she even remember?' Here he was in bed with Asuka. a drunk Asuka. 'If I move away she'll pissed and sad, If I don't away she just be plain pissed. This can't get any worse. A door shut.  
  
"Oh kids I'm home!"  
  
"Oh God, its Misato. He bit his bottom lip and shed a single tear. "I'm so fucked." 


	3. The Great Shinji Panic! Pt2

Chapter 3: **_Great Shinji Panic! Pt.2 _**

"Oh kids I'm home!"

'Oh God its Misato!' he bit his lip and shed a single tear,"I'm so fucked." He looked at his clock. 'It's only 3:35 what is she doing home already! What I am going to do! Okay, if I don't reply then she won't know I'm here. Okay Operation Silence commencing.'

"Shinji, you here?" wailed Misato.

"Yah, I'm here!" he yelled. Then he realized what he just did. 'What the hell! Shinji you idiot!' He mentally chastised himself. 'You idiot! Baka! Baka! Baka!'

"Oh Okay," replied Misato. She looked at the table noticing all the cans. 'Whoa did I really drink this much this morning?' she wondered. 'Man if I didn't get that VIP discount then I am really hammered for money right now if I keep up all this drinking.' Misato had previously won a contest Yebisu beer had held to find their most loyal drinker in all of Japan. Misato had won the contest easily with 43,840 cans of Yebisu brand beer in the past couple years in her life. They were so impressed with the numbers they had named her 'Miss Yebisu Beer 2012' and gave her a lifetime VIP discount. It was one of the greatest moments in her life as she saw it.

"Okay, okay focus Shinji focus," he concentrated. Maybe she won't come back here at all. Good, nothing to worry about then."

"Hey Shinji," she yelled across the apartment, "I'm gonna want you to tell me how I look kay!"

"Crap!" his plan just fell through the floor, she was going to be at his door any second now. 'Okay first things first, I gotta disconnect myself from Asuka.' He tried to gently peel her body from his via her shoulders, no such luck. Her grasp was very strong and she was now consciously resisting, not wanting to let go in her drunken stupor. She started to stir. His heart was really thumping now. He couldn't detach himself from Asuka's grip without hurting her, she was just holding on so tight.

"Hey Shinji what's going on?" Asuka creaked. She didn't really have a grip between her dream world and reality at this point and fell in and out of sleep every few seconds.

'Crap if I tell her she might freak and doing something rash.' Time was running out. Misato was making her way towards Shinji and in a last ditch effort he did the last thing he could think of. He reached over and turned off his futon-side light and threw his covers over Asuka body behind him trying to hide the outline of her body from someone standing at the door. (A/N: Think the first episode of Chobits if you've seen it.) Misato slid the door open to his room.

"Hey Shinji, you haven't seen that Asuka have you? She's not in her room and the school called me and said she had never shown up. Section Two said that she had left but then ran off somewhere in a hurry. She can't be sick so that leaves about one thing left, she skipped." She asked quizzically.

"Well she might be sick but I think she might not want to be found."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know she seemed fine this morning until she just up and ran off. She might be off at a friend's house or something." He didn't lie, just with held parts of the story.

"I swear sometimes that crazy girl never gives a crap about anything," Misato said lowly.

Asuka grumbled and Shinji could feel her breath on the side of neck as she prepared to speak, she had obviously heard. Shinji had quickly and decisively clapped his left hand over her mouth to keep her from making any comments. "Yah, well you know her," he timidly said with a rigid smile.

"Yah well I just wish she wasn't such a stuck up bitch all the time especially in the way she treats you. And I've seen how she treats Rei at NERV, can't imagine how bad it probably gets at school."

Now he could really feel her moving beneath the sheet. She could definitely hear Misato's bashing and was getting mad. She probably wanted to give Misato a piece of her mind. "Yah well, it's not really that bad ya know, she can be a really nice person to be around sometimes," he smiled nervously.

"Hmpf that must be rare!" she mocked. "Come on Shinji I seen the reports from Section Two about her behavior at school, your too nice a person than she deserves to be around in my opinion but what ever you say." Something suddenly and visibly moved underneath Shinji's sheets. Shinji had to force some of his strength to restrain Asuka, she must be pissed.

"Hey what was that?" Misato asked. She noticed the movement underneath Shinji's sheets which was strange considering that his body wasn't really facing her. Her mind sparked. "Hey Shinji doing something under there you don't want me to know about?" She lifted her left hand to cover her smirk and giggled.

"It's not like that!"

"Oh calm down, I'm just teasing." She said playfully and patted the air in front of her mouth as she giggled some more. "Oh, Shinji sometimes your just so easy." There was a pause in her speaking as tried to determine her original reason for coming here. " Oh yah Shinji how do I look? I'm going out drinking Kaji." Shinji laughed at the irony in his head. She twirled in front of Shinji showing off her highlights to him see and in her mind she thought it was funny to tease him and watch those nervously funny faces he'd make.

Shinji knew it was over. Misato had said she was going out with Kaji and Asuka had defiantly heard her. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold her down this time. After all Asuka is obsessed with that man in his opinion. But strangley she never even flinched at it. He looked up at Misato twirling in front of him.

'Why did she have to do that?'

'She's Misato, err.' A voice in his head said.

'Yah guess your right, she teasing me like that all the time.'

'Just be glad she's not in her underwear this time.'

'Yah, your right." Shinji thought immediately followed by flashbacks of times where Misato simply waltzed outside of her room in her underwear or some of her really crazing drinking binges. It was enough to make Kensuke and Toji bleed to death instantly. Still she looked really good tonight she was in the black dress that she had worn to the JetAlone Convention months ago.

"Misato isn't that a little too classy for going out to drink?"

"No, no Kaji said he is taking me to a high class bar on 5th and 6th downtown. It's going to be really nice and there will be lots of imported beers," she said dreamily.

"Oh okay, well you look great."

"Really! Thaaanks!" she said sweetly and giggled. She waved towards him and did a 240 spin and walk away from Shinji's room. But without closing Shinji's door.

'Boy she's in a good mood.' She walked towards her own room singing some Japanese pop song.

'Hopefully she'll just get out.' He suddenly felt a bad pang of guilt but then mentally passed it off realizing the direness of his current situation. She could come back at any moment and then he still had Asuka to deal with. He listened carefully for Misato to leave.

Misato was back in her room still singing her song whilst putting on some make-up. She quickly finished and was heading towards the kitchen. Shinji felt like he was going to be very relieved soon.

"Hi Pen-Pen," she said excitedly, "How're you today?" On the other side of the apartment Shinji face-faulted knowing that she'd never leave now. Asuka was beginning to fidget. Even in her drunken state she didn't like to be covered like this. He was holding his hand over her mouth and was holding her down. 'Sorry Asuka but right now you are too wasted to know what the heck is going so just trust me.'

"Wark!"

"Okay then, bai bai Pen-Pen, Hey cya Shinji!' she yelled. She started towards the door.

"See ya later Misato!" he yelled back. He was somewhat relieved but knew there was still much to be sorted out. He heard the door opened and shut. "Shoo, what a relief finally!" he sighed. He enjoyed a short moment of peace and relief. He quickly squelched it and got back to the problem at hand.

"Asuka," he uncovered her but quickly changing his line of questioning, "What's wrong?" Her cheeks were puffed out and her face began to look green. 'Oh man.'

He was holding back as she blew chunks into the toilet bowl. 'Today is just so, so wrong.' His chest felt tight with stress. She heaved into the toilet again. 'What did I do to deserve this?'

"Shinji," Asuka tried to speak, "I'm so ... bleehh.. blaaaggh."

"It's alright Asuka," for once knowing what she was going to say. He rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to help her feel better but it wasn't helping her too much. Bleeeaaaghh "Jeez Asuka, how much did you drink? I saw the cans on the table."

"Like," wiping the corner of her mouth, 'five or six."

"Huh? There's maybe thirteen cans out there and only a few are Misato's. You lose count or something?" he had a good laugh.

"Pen-Pen drank with me, we watched TV together most of the day."

"That explains it." He remembered that the warm-water bird did his share of drinking too in this place. 'Well that explains the crankiness today when I stepped on him.'

"Wonder how Misato does this all the time," she said wiping her mouth and grabbing a toothbrush and began cleaning her mouth out. Shinji waited patiently behind her. "I think I'm gonna go to bed." It was now mid-evening she she'll have time to wake and let her hang-over dissipate before school.

"Alright Asuka," he said helping her to her feet, "just don't go drinking like that again."

"Yah, yah I won't, believe me." She left the bathroom and stumbled into her room.

"Shinji?"

"Yah?"

"Thanks. A lot, I'm sorry for messing up your day and pulling you into this."

"It's no problem Asuka," he said then hesitated, "I mean we're friends right?" He said it smiling a pure hearted smile and hoping she'd acknowledge his need for friendship with her. The question had caught her unaware though. She looked at him bewildered and in shock and then paused thoughtfully for nearly 3 seconds before

replying.

"Yah, we're friends," She said smiling bright. But her breath was still horrible and her teeth we're still a bit green, Shinji didn't notice. It was the meaning behind the smile and the words. She had acknowledged as a friend and possibly even an equal. It made him feel great. He knew that she was still drunk and she probably wouldn't say it otherwise but his friends told nearly everything someone says when they're drunk is true. And the just the chance she thought of him that way made his mind grab the glimmer hope and digest it through his psyche. "Good night Shinji."

"Night Asuka." They both turned and enter their individual rooms closing the doors in peace. For at least two nights now, especially this night thought his door wasn't his barrier between him and Asuka Langley Satan but his friend Asuka Langley Soryhu.

Awwwww, Isn't it just so cute! Well my friends this was going to be an Asuka x Shinji fic. But some of my friends tell me I should include other girls like Rei or even maybe Maya Ibuki or something like that for competition. What do you guys think? Please review and tell me! Don't worry more funny situations will ensue in the process. After I get some good replies I'll post Chapter 4 real quick. SO PLEASE REVIEW!

_See you Space Cowboy._


	4. Reloaded

Ah this chap is the morning after naturally. I was thinking about skipping a week ahead but decided to thrash the idea since many of you like detail. In case you didn't read the last set of notes I will be posting during Christmas Break so keep the reviews coming in. SCHNELL! Or else I'll feel abandoned and lonely! Christmas will probably suck for me so do me a Christmas favor! View, THEN REVIEW! It's so easy. I don't even think you have to be a member! Rei Ayanami is making her debut in this chap, it be a short and sweet intro to her nothing big. Even though she my favorite anime character of all time! Don't worry she won't steal the spotlight!(at least not in this story) I don't know why everyone is so militant about shinji and auska or shinji and rei! It could be Pen-Pen and Ritsuko for all I care! And it may just happen! But you'll have to keep readin' and reviewin' to find out! Anyways Random1337 is still my idol, I'm still a lazy high school student(although I just got a job at Perkins! YAY! So technically my dad can't call me a bum anymore! HAZZA!), and I still don't own Evangelion, Gainax does. They could own me for all I know!  
  
Changing Attitudes Chapter 4  
  
Chapter 4: Reloaded  
  
Asuka was groggy, she had a splitting headache the size of her Eva, and most naturally of all, she was pissed.  
  
"Mein Gott, what in Himmel happened to me?" She turned on her side. The normally strawberry scent of herself hit. "Whew, I smell rancid!" She picked herself up slowly from the futon. She had no idea what time it was as she couldn't find her alarm clock for some reason. Every move she made seemed to only make her head feel like it was going to explode out of her skull.  
  
'Ugh, what brought this all on?" she mentally whined. She remembered that something happened to her yesterday, something important. Her head was down in her hands as she moved across her room. The trip felt inexorable but finally reaching her where her door should be but forgetting it was closed, walked straight into it.  
  
"Ahh sheisse!" she cried. "Errr," she threw the door open and immediately regretting it for the loud bang noise it made when it hit the frame. It only hurt her already hurting head more.  
  
---  
  
Shinji abruptly woke from his light sleep hearing a sudden, loud thud and crack. He split his eyes and just looked at his clock. '4:30AM, too early,' he swiped at the clock his hand from force of habit and knocked it across the room. He quickly slipped back into his dream world. "Rei" was all that was thought aloud before succumbing to the silence of sleep.  
  
---  
  
The shower had felt refreshing to her. She felt revitalized and the stink from earlier was gone. "She stretched every muscle in her body with one large, sweeping cat-like yawn and body stretch. This feeling of energy was great until she shipped the bathroom door open and moved into the hallway. Her ear pop was earth shattering to her.  
  
'What did I do to deserve this,' she wailed with her head in her hands. "Ugh," she sighed. Without any logical reasoning she just lifted her head from downward position to just right to look at Shinji's door. She began gazing at it.  
  
"What?" she had puzzled herself now. She stood there for what seemed like just a few seconds but she had actually been standing there for several minutes now. Thinking, trying to grasp what newfound importance Shinji's door suddenly had. It was on the tip of her mind but she just couldn't reach it. "Arrrghh, what am I doing?" she squealed. She tried, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Shinji's door. She felt like she didn't have control over her body anymore as she began taking steps towards it, but she was becoming intrigued as to what laid there for her.  
  
'What the hell do I want from that baka!' She instantly felt a pang in her gut that broke her away from her trance. She was now immediately in front of his door, her right hand was gently resting on the sliding indent. 'Weird, but I feel like I should doing something that has to do with him.' At this point she realized she was still only wearing a small, red towel and in front of Shinji's door. 'Whoa someone could really get the wrong idea from this!' Her body and mind panicked and she did a 180* turn and leapt back into her room. Unfortunately she did all this before realizing her door was closed.  
  
---  
  
A sinister man in a black command suit sitting in his chair in his dark office laughed.  
  
"Gonna need a replay on that one," he chuckled.  
  
---  
  
After twenty minutes of reeling from the hit she just took combined with her massive headache, she had finally managed to struggle into her blue and white school uniform. But after her period of random curses in all sorts of languages her mind went back to the question she was trying to comprehend. Why did she go to Shinji's door like that? It just wasn't like her.  
  
'Screw this, he probably is hiding something from me or is having a some hentai dream about my gorgeous body,' then her voice went soft. "Baka."  
  
She moved past her door which was already open and looked from there at Shinji's door indent. She creeped as silently as she could towards his door and cracked it about an inch or two. He was asleep as far she could tell.  
  
'After all that crap I put him through yesterday he's still here sleeping happy and contented.' She thought warmly. The corners of her mouth were upturned slightly. Then her mind sparked.  
  
'Wait, what? What did I do to him through yesterday?' she thought concerned. She tried to sift through her various short-term memories but couldn't find nearly anything from the day before. 'Was bad,' was all her mind could come up with. She gritted her teeth at Shinji because she was beginning to get frustrated with herself and him. She knew he must have had something to do with it. Although it was true in general that she put him through a lot of her crap. Almost no days have passed since she moved in with him and Misato had she either not thrown insults at him for no reason or physically assaulted him. Although she never hit him too hard, she didn't really want him to get seriously hurt or anything. But in a few seconds her tensed up shoulders just relaxed and she could feel her anger melting away. 'Huh? Why can't I get mad at him now?'  
  
"Rei," he murmured quietly from his sleep, but it did not go unnoticed.  
  
'Rei? Rei! What the hell! What is that baka thinking about right now! I could kill him! Probably dreaming about what he's going to make that doll Wondergirl do for him next!' She was getting very angry but deep inside where she couldn't consciously notice it was a stab in her heart. But anger was not alone now, it was with an amount of fear.  
  
'How dare he choose her over me! After all I've done for that baka.' She thought without thinking about it. She was currently too broadsided by her anger to notice it. She felt betrayed and didn't know what to do.  
  
Not realizing that when she opened his door a ray of light shot from the living room into "Shinji's Lovely Suite" or so the sign said. It was dashed across his face and he started stirring and finally opened his eyes.  
  
"Hmhm," he batted his eyes shut adjusting to the light then blinked, "Asuka?"  
  
"Ehh!" she gasped and her mind shrieked. 'ALERT! We've been caught!' She shut the door quickly and sprinted into the kitchen.. 'What the hell is wrong with me!?' she repeated. She froze again and stared off into space. 'Well um,' her anger flared somewhat. "Well I'm not going to stay here so that pervert can try to take advantage of me!" She grabbed her books on the table where she had left them the day before and quickly glanced at the microwave clock. She turned towards the door and left the apartment with haste. But the moment she turned around from the door to the hallway she piled right into someone she didn't see before and the force from the impact threw both of them to the ground.  
  
She was wearing a mid-length black dress and she had very vivacious purple hair and a telltale silver cross necklace, always worn by."Asuka?" the woman said holding her head.  
  
"Misato!?" she replied shocked.  
  
"Er.. What are you doing up? What are you doing out here?" she questioned. Though she was also very nervous. 'Oh my God does she know?!?' Then she looked over Asuka. She looked pretty frazzled and dazed. 'Her eyes are awfully twitchy.' The girl hadn't even dried her hair yet, Misato was getting suspicious as to where she was off to in such a rush at this time in the morning. 'She's definitely not going for a walk, it's five AM.'  
  
Asuka realizing she didn't have any plausible answer fell to her usual back- up plan, a smart-ass retort.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing Misato!"  
  
It was on. Now they would see who cracked first.  
  
"I'm your guardian so I don't have to explain myself," Misato boasted and folded her arms under her breasts. Asuka simply thinned her eyes into slits and glared at Misato. Realizing that this strategy would only work on Shinji, Misato quickly devised her self a new plan and created herself an alliby for it.  
  
"I'll tell you if you tell me."  
  
Now Asuka was interested. 'What the hell is she coming home for at five in the morning for? Where has she been all night!'  
  
"You first," Asuka retorted. Asserting that she would not go first and that Misato would have to step up to the plate here. Misato gulped.  
  
'I can't really tell her the truth about where I just came from! She'd murder me in my sleep!'  
  
"I just got back from Nerv, I had the late shift," she lied. 'There, she couldn't possibly come up with anything to shoot that down. I am Nerv's Director of Operations after all.' She had a smirk on her brain so wide it was about to poke out of her ear. Misato was getting cocky.  
  
"In THAT dress Miiisato?" Asuka jabbed, not believing it for a second.  
  
"I felt like dressing nicely for once. So sue me," she asserted.  
  
Asuka looked down at the ground in front of Misato's knees. 'Hmm, I don't really believe her, but if I put up too much of a fight it'll make me look too suspicious.'  
  
"So where are you off to in such a hurry? I gave my answer, it's your turn." She said it with the coyest of smiles. The bump on Asuka's forehead where they had bumped together was getting redder. She fell back on another shady reply.  
  
"I'm headed to school!" She said not realizing that she had just sent a spark through Misato's brain. "I decided to get an early start," she assured.  
  
"Reeally? It's five AM Asuka, the school doesn't even open for another three hours." She was getting closer and closer between the crosshairs.  
  
"I'm going to Hikari's first to hang out." She said finally. She picked herself up off the ground and dusted herself off while walking away.  
  
"Oh, Asuka! Your books." Misato pointed to the ground in front of herself.  
  
"Oh yah." She back walked a few steps to gather her books but tried to make it look like she wasn't rushing. Misato was starting lasers at Asuka, she was ready to strike.  
  
"So, going in early to make up for skipping yesterday?" The hammer had hit the steel hot. Asuka remembered now, she watched TV most of yesterday. Asuka's mind was frozen and she knew she was screwed now. She spent the day with Pen-Pen yesterday.  
  
'Pen-Pen? What the heck? Why would I spend the day with him?" Her mind was reeling.  
  
"Uh," she stammered and slow raised her eyeballs up and they found Misato's unintentionally. Misato raised a brow and moved to a crouched position while she patiently awaited for an answer.  
  
"Checkmate," she grinned. Misato always had a way of turning these battles in her favor. She was the queen of manipulation of these sorts.  
  
"What do you want?" she hung her head in defeat.  
  
"An explanation would be nice for starters."  
  
"I don't have to explain myself to you!" Asuka's anger flared.  
  
"I can suspend your piloting privileges if you don't."  
  
"You wouldn't." Asuka snarled.  
  
"I would."  
  
"You can't!" she yelled.  
  
"I can!" She said with an upbeat smile. "I can and I will."  
  
"You fight dirty Misato."  
  
"Yea I know. Life sucks then you die. Get over it. Now, on with your explanation."  
  
Shinji woke up abruptly again. He could hear Asuka and Misato arguing. 'Arrg, they're so loud.'  
  
"Thank God we don't have any neighbors." He sighed. They're arguing was annoying the crap out of him and he couldn't help falling in and out sleep every few seconds, an irritating mix. He needed to put a stop to this one. "I wonder what it's about this time." He got up and traveled outside of his room and to the apartment door.  
  
"I can't remember what happened yesterday!" Asuka clamored.  
  
"Well try!"  
  
He could barely stay conscious otherwise he would noticed all he was wearing was his boxers. As he opened the door his mission of peace fell through. What with the falling in and out of sleep, by the time he got outside he couldn't remember why he was there. The two ladies in front of him stopped their bickering and looked up at him in silence, they stared at him as if they expected him to say something important.  
  
Shinji was stumbling around in his mind for what seemed like a minute. He couldn't remember what he was here for. The stares were prompting him to talk, he had to say something. And old saying came to mind, 'Think before you speak Shinji.' The silence became too much for the poor boy and he snapped.  
  
"So, um.. how did your date with Kaji go last night Misato?" Misato sweat- dropped and prepared for the worst, while Shinji felt a cold breeze.  
  
"MISATO! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING WITH KAJI!" an angry teen red- head pointing her finger screamed from of the screen.  
  
The sinister man with glasses behind the desk chuckled and reached for the small red bag upon his desk.  
  
"Damn, I'm out of Peanut Butter M&M's!"  
  
The sunlight glinted off the dirty shades of apartment 402 onto the angelic face of the blue-haired pilot of Eva Unit-00, and Rei Ayanami's eyes gently opened. She batted her eyes lightly and opened them reluctantly taking in the full brightness of the light becoming alert quickly. She was a very petite girl of the age of 16, and possibly the most graceful of any her age. Her apartment was a complete mess and she had seemingly had never given more than a passing glance at the mail, it was overflowing from her door. 'What would be the purpose?' she thought.  
  
She slowly rose from her futon. Attempting to equalize the temperature between her appendages she pulled her legs up to her body and hugged them with her arms while she stared at the water-filled glass beaker near her bed through her blood red eyes.  
  
"Ikari," said in her normal emotionless voice while watching the light reflect and refract on the water. She slipped back to her train of thought from the night before. She had rested the night to dwell on the question.  
  
"Shinji," she said with the faintest hint of joy. They had known each other for many months now. And although the differences between the two are wide Shinji had never given up on her. He had been trying to crack her shell whenever he got the chance. Yes it felt right to call him by his first, inside and out. The corners of her lips turned upwards minutely, but disappeared as quickly as it came. She could feel emotions rise up inside her, many she had never even known existed until Shinji came and then especially after the defeat of Ramiel, the 5th angel.  
  
'I smiled for him. A smile I could feel all over. I have done that for no one as of yet but him. He showed he cared, not like the Commander though. I gave him nothing, yet he nearly sacrificed himself simply to see if I was undamaged. Could this all be my. imagination?" A voice of feeling grew inside of her to seek him out. Her face remained emotionless.  
  
'I should inquire about these. feelings.. to the Commander. No, it would be best not to waste his time on matters as trivial as this when not in relation to Project Eva. I should ask Shinji at school when he is not busy. Yes.'  
  
"Shinji," she repeated. 'Yes, this feels right.'  
  
Ah I hope you guys liked that! I didn't have a huge amount in it Just setting up for the rest of the day (Hence: Reloaded). Look forward to Chapter 5: Revelations! It could be my first really long chapter! What is Rei gong to say to Shinji? Who is the man behind the desk! (you'd have to be an idiot nor to know by now! Unless you haven't seen the series in which case sorry I offended you. And what's going on with Asuka! Hopefully I'll set up Maya Ibuki's entrance! And maybe that Pen-Pen + Ritsuko thing! Well actually I was thinking about having Pen-Pen commit a series of crimes like robbing liquor stores, going to jail, shanking someone, dealing with prison rape, busting out, becoming a pimp or something or going into Nerv with guns blazing SOMETHING LIKE THAT! But I'll need a a lot of reviews telling me to do so in order for it to happen! In fact 25-30 reviews in order to get chap 5 out of me. Every one of them counts. Do your part! So Get Review'n! See you Space Cowboy 


	5. Revelations

Every evra boda! Its everyone's most hated author back again for another update! Ahhh the day the day of chapter 4. NO complaints about length this time. This chap is at least twice as long as my any of my previous ones! I've introduced a new character in this chap but its up to you guys to decide whether I'll keep her or develop her! And Rei And Shinji are going to have a little talk. Awww! And then Rei is gonna go Badass maybe? No but still its good. At least I hope so! Hey and nobody told me what they think of Pen-Pen murdering people and stuff! Screw you guys! Anyways Random 1337 is still my idol, I'm still a lazy high school student, and I still don't own Evangelion, Gainax does! But soon I will own them! Though I doubt it  
  
Changing Attitudes Chapter 5  
  
Chapter 5: Revelations  
  
He sat at his desk staring straight ahead and bored out of his mind. 'Wonder what Ayanami is thinking about today.' He tapped his finger on his desk bored and Asuka thoughts on the matter popped into his head. 'Sometimes it does seem like she doesn't really think for her self at all. Maybe she is a bit like a doll like Asuka says.' He pushed that thought put of his mind. 'No that's ridiculous Shinji, you of all people should know.' He mind flashed back to after the fight with Ramiel. His red laptop messenger icon blinked.  
  
BasketHero Shinji was up man?  
  
CelloMiXMaster Nothing much really.  
  
Eva Unit-05 What's that bruise on your cheek?  
  
CelloMiXMaster Asuka accidentally hit me this morning while she was arguing with Misato.  
  
Eva Unit-05 Ahh Misato.  
  
BasketHero What was that bitch complaining about now?  
  
CelloMiXMaster I'd rather not say.  
  
BasketHero Oh so it's like that now eh?  
  
Eva Unit-05 We see how it is.  
  
BasketHero Guess you don't trust us anymore. Should have guessed this would happen with an Eva pilot. We understand, we wont bother you anymore.  
  
CelloMiXMaster IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!  
  
BasketHero Dude calm down, your so easy.  
  
Eva Unit-04 lol, true.  
  
Touji could be heard cracking up from across the room.  
  
"Mr. Suzuhara have you something to share with the rest of the class?" the old sensei demanded.  
  
"Um NO SIT, er , SIR!" he stumbled.  
  
"Then I suggest you quiet down."  
  
CelloMiXMaster lol, moron  
  
Asuka from across the room activated her messenger program and searched for Shinji. She had found him in Room 545 of Tokyo-3 Chat Network. She clicked on it.  
  
ADMIN You Have Been Blocked From Entering This Chat Room By Administrator Eva Unit-04.  
  
She hit the desk with her fist and gritted her teeth. 'Errr I'll kill that Kensuke. I need to talk to Shinji damn't!'  
  
A few hours passed. People were ignoring sensei, Asuka was grinding her teeth. Rei was stoic, Touji slept, Pen-Pen was out somewhere breaking someone's knees and burying them alive in wet concrete and Kensuke was typing madly away on his computer. So far the school had operated as per usual. Shinji liked it that way. But his enjoyment was always shattered whenever his paranoid ears thought they heard a cell phone ringing or a siren going off. That would never let him be to peaceful. The hard object with an attena his pocket constantly reminded him every time not to enjoy something too much. Chances were that it wouldn't be there after the next angel attack. The lunch bell rang and Touji awoke instantly and sprinted out of the room before anybody could even get out of their chair. Kensuke followed him as fast as could so he could get a good place in the lunch line. Sensei grumbled something and followed behind the students as they shuffled out of the room. Shinji just looked at them from his chair and collapsed his head onto his hands. He didn't really feel like going the lunchroom today, too noisy. He wanted to go outside but knew he have a heck of a time trying to convince Touji to go out there when Asuka was there. 'Guess I should try though.' He started to get up from his desk but something unexpected happened.  
  
"Ikari?" a soft voice spoke. Shinji turned around not knowing anyone was left in the class.  
  
"Oh hi Ayanami. What can I do for you?" 'I hope this isn't about Nerv,' he smiled.  
  
"We have a sync test tomorrow at 1600 Hours, Doctor Akagi asked me to inform you."  
  
'Guess it was to much to ask for, she's just. Ayanami,' he mentally laughed. "Oh alright Ayanami thank you." He stood up from his desk and prepared to leave the classroom. He got to the door before Ayanami spoke up again.  
  
"Ikari," she said with a slightly higher than normal tone of emotionless voice.  
  
"Sorry Ayanami I had thought you'd finished." Rei shifted uneasily. "What did you want to talk about?"  
  
She could not interact with him here, this environment did not make her as comfortable as she could be. 'Perhaps another location.'  
  
"Will you come with me to the roof top?" Rei may have seemed emotionless on the outside but inside she was racking with thoughts of rejection and uneasiness. She didn't know these feelings, they were very alien to her. 'What will I do if he says no?'  
  
Shinji was taken aback completely caught off guard by her request. He gulped dryly. 'What could she possibly want? This doesn't seem like her to be making her own requests.'  
  
"Sure I will Ayanami. Just let me make a quick visit to the cafeteria. I couldn't make my lunch today due to some difficulties."  
  
"I am willing to share my rations with you."  
  
"No thanks, I'm pretty hungry and I wouldn't want you to starve."  
  
"I assure you I will not starve. The design of this city is to preserve its inhabitants." She was about to continue but was interrupted.  
  
"Still if it's all the same with you I'd like to get my own."  
  
"Very well." She paused. "Ikari I have noticed that you usually prepare your own bento everyday and as you have told me you could not today. Is there a problem with your household? I have noticed the bruise in your right cheek."  
  
"No, no there is no problem Asuka just accidentally smacked me this morning it's no big deal, just an accident." That was the largest amount of words he had ever heard her say at once.  
  
"You have come to school many times with these types of wounds before, were they accidents as well?" She shot back. Shinji sensed something in her voice.  
  
'Did she speak with disbelief? Sarcasm?' Shinji was surprised.  
  
"Well no, but, um kinda yah, but they were just misunderstandings between me and Asuka." Her eyes slitted minutely.  
  
"I see. I will meet you on the roof shortly."  
  
"Alright," he turned away from the door and sped down the hallway towards the cafeteria.  
  
'I do not understand these feelings but some are not so un-enjoyable as to be pushed aside.' She stared at Shinji hustling down the hallway to secure a spot in the register line. 'I will protect you Ikari.'  
  
She turned and walked quietly from the doorway towards the stairway.  
  
Shinji was able to procure a school-made lunch quickly. Though not without interaction between himself and other two stooges. He told them where he was going and why. They laughed and him and made assorted remarks on the matter though he did expect them. He waved them off and continued the stairway that led upstairs.  
  
The sinister man with glasses was out of his office now. He continued to pound his fists on it. A technician noticed this and ran to his side.  
  
"Sir is everything alright sir!"  
  
"There's nothing you can do about it!" he yelled not looking at the man.  
  
'Unless,' he thought and turned his face towards the man.  
  
"Give me your issued firearm!"  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"GIVE IT TO ME! HE'LL BE ON THE ROOF ANY MOMENT NOW! THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE!" The technician quickly pulled out his firearm and handed it to him the Glock 26. "BURN IN HELL YOU BASTARD!" He pulled the trigger and emptied a clip of 45' ACP rounds into it and reached inside and pulled out a rectangular object in gold foil.  
  
"Son-of-a-bitch! I freaking own this place and I can't get a goddamn candy bar! STUPID MACHINE!" He ran back to his office leaving the low-entry technician in shock.  
  
He opened the rooftop door and was immediately greeted with blue skies and blue hair, the image of Rei Ayanami sitting on the ledge of the school's roof looking out over the city. She was eating her bread silently over a paper bag with a red Nerv insignia on it. He gulped and moved and walked over to her and sat down next to her. She made no response to him. He looked down at her lunch again.  
  
'It's just a small loaf of bread and a cup of artificial chicken broth. Is that all she eats?' The clear plastic wrapper around the bread beared a red Nerv insignia on it. 'Ugh that's the free crap they had out in the cafeteria there. How can Ayanami eat that stuff.'  
  
"Ayanami do you always get your lunch from the Nerv cafeteria?"  
  
"For the most part yes." She was curious as to why he asked but chose not to pursue citing it as a trivial matter, They ate together in relative silence for the next two minutes. Shinji was still trying to process what compelled her to eat that stuff, but decided that he wouldn't stand for it.  
  
"Ayanami, I could make you a lunch from now if you'd like. Your vegetarian right? I could make you plenty of different things if you like and it's no trouble to me so.." He tattered off hoping for a positive answer. All Ayanami could do was blush and look bewildered but Shinji didn't notice as he was looking at the people below.  
  
She heard and after her initial shock she began debating the proposition in her mind. She was silent for a minute or two before she spoke up.  
  
"If you wish, thank you." Words of gratitude, in her entire life she had only said thank you to Shinji. Once again they fell into silence, though it was never at any point uncomfortable for either, although virtually no silences ever left Rei at unease. They fit together in a manner of speaking. They were both thinking about why they where here. And Shinji's mind was still trying to come up with an answer to why he was here. He looked at her face. She seemed perfectly comfortable the way they were almost a. satisfied look.  
  
'Maybe she just wanted to sit with me. But Rei? That just doesn't seem like her, there has to be something she's here for otherwise she wouldn't be here. This doesn't make sense, I should ask her. But what if she takes offense? She's Ayanami, she doesn't take offense.' His mind flashed back to the time when she slapped him for insulting his own father. 'Hmmm, well if she takes offense. Then I'll definitely know it. Here goes nothing.'  
  
"Ayanami I don't mean to be rude but why'd you ask me to eat lunch with you, you seem to be a very private person, it just surprises me and all," he tried not to emphasize the private part, lest it alienate her.  
  
"Ikari, what is a friend?" Shinji was again shocked by one of her requests. She had a way of doing that.  
  
"A friend, um," he struggled for an answer, he knew his answer would be bad.  
  
"A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts correct?"  
  
"Well yes for the most part Ayanami."  
  
"And a boy or girlfriend what are those? I have heard the terms many times here and in the halls of Nerv."  
  
"Well a boyfriend or girlfriend is a person you really like, above all others, um, usually meaning that you are intimately involved with that person."  
  
"I see." This wasn't much information for her to her to take in, but the significance and meaning behind it all was harder to understand than say, quantum physics. Shinji looked at her while she turned her head to gaze at a tree in the distance. Shinji took another bite of his sandwich.  
  
"Liking someone means that you wish to be with them, possibly in more ways than one." She said more like a statement than a question.  
  
"Yes," he said in between bites of his peanut butter sandwich. He liked it that she could simplify things that would take him forever to do and then do it in a minute or two. She lifted her head again and looked at Shinji.  
  
"Do you like me Ikari?" Shinji choked on his sandwich and coughed a piece out. It flew from his mouth over the edge of the building. He heard a scream of disgust and ducked out of sight from the people below by getting off and sitting behind the ledge. He choked nervously and realized that Rei had asked him a question and was staring intently at him. He took a breath.  
  
"I'm sorry Ayanami what did you say?" Not quite believing his ears.  
  
"Do you like me Ikari?" She said as calmly as ever. He switched mindsets and looked into her eyes trying to ascertain that the question was not a hostile one or a trick.  
  
'God I've been getting too used to Asuka.' Realizing that what he was doing was ridiculous. Rei would never ask a trick question and she doesn't seem hostile.  
  
"Sure I do Ayanami." He said with a smile. She nodded slightly then looked back out over the city and turned her head back to him in a matter of seconds. 'Why does she always look at the city like that?'  
  
"I believe I like you as well. Does this mean we are friends Ikari?"  
  
"If you would like to be." Then he watched her waiting for a reply. After a while he swallowed and realized that if she was going to say something then even she would have already said it.  
  
"If it counts for anything I'd like to be your friend Ayanami. I think we would be great friends." Her lips changed position. 'Whoa is she smiling!' He was near ecstatic at that moment in time. Unbeknownst to Shinji because he's too much of a moron to notice Rei had finally got her blush under control.  
  
"It would be pleasing to be your friend Ikari." He smiled for her.  
  
"Great that settles it then, we're friends!" He put out his hand to shake hers. She lifted her hand from her lap and moved it towards Shinji's hand and blinked not quite knowing what to do. Shinji saw her confusion evident on even her stoic face and took her hand and shook it with his.  
  
"Ikari why did we shake hands?"  
  
'We.' That clicked in her mind. She had never before used that word in a conversation or with any meaning attached to it like she just did. 'I wish to be with Shinji as a friend would be. Like Shinji and the.' She paused in her mind. 'Two other stooges. Yes, when friends are together as a group, an entity. That is why.'  
  
"Because friends do stupid things like that with another." He smiled. She did not understand but nodded anyways.  
  
'My first friend is Ikari.' She thought.  
  
Whatever tension that had been between the two the earlier was gone now. Shinji looked at her face. 'She is not a doll.' He smiled subconsciously. 'I knew father couldn't have smited her humanity, all she needs now is to learn and people will stop calling her the ice queen. She is a really good person deep down I know it.'  
  
"Would you agree to eating with me again tomorrow?" She asked him.  
  
"Yea sure, I'll want to know how the lunch I'm making for you will taste." Her cheeks warmed. Shinji hit himself for such a lame and weird reply, Rei took no notice. He clenched his lips together and looked at her. She wasn't doing anything hostile or mocking. 'Maybe I don't have to moniter what I say around her as much as I would around other people.' The right side of his mouth upturned at the thought.  
  
"Ayanami would you like to come over for dinner at my apartment tonight?" Rei looked down at the tree 10 meters in front of them then rose her head again.  
  
"We do not have any requests of Nerv tonight, I would be grateful to attend."  
  
"Alright I'll make I cook and not Misato then!" he said laughing. Rei not getting the joke looked at him emotionlessly. He noticed that see wasn't laughing. 'She doesn't live with you moron.' A mental voice snapped at him.  
  
"I do not understand." He stopped laughing slowly then just shut up feeling like a baka.  
  
"Never mind, anyways would 6:30 be alright?"  
  
"I do not have any other plans, yes."  
  
"Cool then," he said as the warning bell went off. "Well I guess we should get back to class. He offered his hand to get her lunch bag from her and she gave it to him. He walked off and threw what was left of their lunches away.  
  
"Thank you." She said under her breath. 'Words of gratitude,' she thought.  
  
Shinji walked down the hallway with Rei walking by his side. He could already hear Asuka screaming as they neared the classroom.  
  
"I know you spit that peanut butter sandwich at me you asshole." Shinji realized what was just said and retracted in fear and put his arms up when he saw her wanting to protect himself. Both Rei and Asuka noticed this.  
  
"Ikari what is wrong?" Asuka just looked at him cock-eyed and returned to her original prey. Some anonymous boy was backed up against the wall by her. She started smacking him.  
  
'Poor kid! He shouldn't suffer for what I did! He's just a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.' Shinji rushed over to Asuka but realized who she was beating.  
  
"What're you doing here?"  
  
"Um no reason Asuka. I be going now." His speech stuttered because he was about to crack up. The boy she was beating was no other than Shirai Tsukasi. That kid thought he was better than everyone else in the school, and he didn't make a secret of it. He had even threatened them on several occasions including Shinji for paranoid reasons. He had thought that Shinji was selfishly hogging all of the girls affections in the school simply because he was an Eva pilot. Partially it was true but Shinji had no part in it. Many girls expressed their interest in him but he retreated from them and only actually turned them down when he got backed into a corner. Shirai had punched him twice and sent Shinji flying to the ground. "I swear I'm not," was all Shinji could get out before Shirai was tackled by a Section Two agent and electrocuted him with a 500,000 volt stun gun. He was taken in and interrogated as well. Apparently out of all the people that have tried to beat up Shinji, Shirai was only one that Section Two cared to intervene in. Needless to say that Shirai didn't bother him again after that. Shinji chuckled to himself, normally he would have stopped it and taken responsibility but two words came to mind. "Divine retribution," he smirked.  
  
"What Ikari?"  
  
"Um nothing Ayanami, let's get to class." They moved into the classroom together and parted ways to their desks. Several eyebrows in the classroom were raised instantly at the sight of this.  
  
The giggling and gossip got even louder than it was before, all except for a few girls. Hikari Horaki who was surprised and amused, 'Rei and Shinji! That's so cute!' And a Tomoko Marina who sat in the corner of the room, she may as well have just disappeared from existence at that moment, 'Nobody would notice' she thought sadly. What she saw had made her mouth drop and her eyes get moist. 'I thought I would be able to tell him soon, but.but he's being taken away from me!' She felt betrayed and felt almost as much despair as she did when her mother died. This was as equally as bad when her father died in that horrible car accident three months ago. She was all alone now, she lived alone, and lived her life alone, the worst part by far though was eating alone. No one had even noticed she existed through out this entire time except for him, Shinji Ikari. She was for the most part short and a nobody kind of person. Her facial features were exceptional despite her glasses and plain brown matted hair but her body wasn't as well endowed as her classmates. Shinji was the only person who talked to her in a city of ten million. And that gave her a single goal, she had promised her father as he laid of his deathbed that night. She promised him that she'd live her to the fullest. And she was doing it in her own way. She was the highest ranked student in the entire school. She would have moved on to college a long time ago but she lacked the funds necessary. But she realized she wasn't very happy. And she wouldn't be happy until she could be with him, be with Shinji. She fumbled with her computer but she still couldn't get the messenger to work. She put her hands back down on her desk and sighed.  
  
'I won't give up.' She said weakly.  
  
Shinji sat at his desk moderately happy. Of course that doesn't mean he didn't have his head in his hands trying to mentally make sensei shut up with this crap about the Second Impact. 'God this never ends,' he thought. His laptop messenger icon blinked.  
  
BasketHero So what did you and Ayanami do on the rooftop? ; )  
  
CelloMiXMaster It's not like that, we just talked.  
  
Eva Unit-04 Yah right, you can't expect us to believe that.  
  
CelloMiXMaster You don't have to if you don't want to.  
  
BasketHero Testy, testy, getting all defensive on us. Something must have definitely happened!  
  
Eva Unit-04 true true He is getting awfully wily  
  
BasketHero So what part of her body did she want you to touch first?  
  
ADMIN Users BasketHero and Eva Unit-04 has been blocked by user CelloMiXMaster  
  
BasketHero Oh ya something happened alright  
  
Eva Unit-04 ya maybe we should leave him alone about it though  
  
BasketHero Are u serious?  
  
Eva Unit-04 no lol  
  
BasketHero lol  
  
Shinji could tell from the snickering they were doing from across the room that they were still talking about him. 'Stooges,' he snickered.  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Shinji where the hell were you at lunch today!  
  
CelloMiXMaster It's none of your business Asuka.  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Like hell it isn't, I needed to talk to you! Don't lie to me either I know you were spending the time with your precious doll Wondergirl. What are you trying to make her do now!  
  
CelloMiXMaster I have told you before Asuka she is not a doll. And it isn't like that anyways all we did was talk with one another.  
  
He heard a loud 'Puh' from across the room.  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Don't lie to me Shinji  
  
CelloMiXMaster IM NOT! And what business of yours is it anyways!  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Whatever  
  
Shinji calmed down and decide to keep the conversation going because he had nothing else to do. He was also curious as to what she wanted to talk about before.  
  
CelloMiXMaster What did you want to talk to me about?  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Oh so now after you leave me behind to be interrogated by Misato and then ditch me at lunch! Now you want to talk to me!?!  
  
CelloMiXMaster yes  
  
Red-Haired Beauty When that bell rings I am going to kill you. YOU READ THIRD CHILD!  
  
CelloMiXMaster Sure, now what did you want ?  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Is this chatroom secure?  
  
CelloMiXMaster This chatroom was set-up by Nerv for us pilots, no is allowed to access it except us.Its 1024 mbit encryption. Not even Kensuke can hack into it.  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Ah sure I forgot  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Misato says she's going to suspend my piloting priveledges if I can't give her an explanation as to what happened yesterday.  
  
Shinji gulped.  
  
Red-Haired Beauty I need you to help me remember  
  
Shinji debated within himself whether he should come right out with the truth or fabricating a half-true story to save his own skin. He decided to come out with it.  
  
CelloMiXMaster Asuka wait until school is over, we should talk about it this in person, trust me. Although its against my better judgment.  
  
Red-Haired Beauty Fine! And what the hell do you mean against your better judgement! We'll talk after school then. But you better not sheisse me baka.  
  
CelloMiXMaster I wont  
  
In a rare occurrence Shinji actually decided to tease Asuka back, although it'll probably piss her off, but he thought it would be funny nonetheless.  
  
CelloMiXMaster Oh by the way Ayanami I asked Ayanami over for dinner and she said yes. We'll all be eating together at 6 tonight  
  
He typed it feeling an unnatural sense of self-satisfaction for himself and a smirk on his face. He heard a laptop screen slam shut from on the other side of the room. He chuckled.  
  
"Stand up, bow, dismissed." Class was finally over and Shinji was thankful for it, the history lesson was so boring that watching he skin slowly and microscopically decay could have been considered thrilling. It always entailed the same thing, the Second Impact. Shinji got up, and out of his desk and gathered his books and prepared to leave.  
  
"Shinji where the hell do you think you are going? Asuka snakishly said as she strided up behind him.  
  
"Oh yah I thought I forgot something." He said under his breath and smirked. "Come on Asuka let's go to the park or something to talk about it."  
  
"Hey THIS ISN"T A DATE OR ANYTHING SO DON"T GET ANY IDEA'S!"  
  
"I didn't mean it that way! I'm sorry Asuka!"  
  
"Whatever, let's go."  
  
They arrived at the parked and Shinji headed towards a tree towards the center of the small island of nature surrounded by the creations of man. It was towards the mini-lake where he sat down. Asuka followed behind and took up position on the other side the tree and stood leaning against it.  
  
"So what did happen yesterday? I remember some of it, like I hung out with Pen-Pen for some reason." Shinji gave a small stifled laugh, Asuka didn't hear it. He started going through the previous day's events from account. But with every word he said Asuka remembered more and more and was filling in the gaps that he couldn't. She knew he wasn't lying everything he said she could remember as clear as the day today and several things he knew nothing about.  
  
Flashback  
  
She bounced on and off the walls in the hallway of their apartment. She stopped in front of his room and the door was open. 'I wonder what kind of music Shinji he likes.' She was referring to his SDAT player that she could see from his door. He just left it there this morning for some reason. 'It's weird to think of Shinji with out his SDAT player.' She tried to step inside his room but the door wasn't open all the way. She impaled her chest and head into the edge of the door's edge and spun to the ground. "Ow, what is up with these damn doors! *Hiccup*" She regained her drunken balance as much as she could and stepped inside Shinji's room and laid on his futon. She slipped in the ear buds in her ears. 'Ode to Joy, not bad Shinji. Although I can think of better.' She fell asleep.  
  
Back To Present  
  
"I really did do that didn't I?" She slid her back down the tree and sat up against its roots next to Shinji.  
  
"Yeah." She sighed.  
  
"Alright, keep going Shinji." He followed orders and continued.  
  
She finally realized those important things that were tugging on her mind. Being sorry to Shinji and her admission of friendship between the two. Her cheeks warmed. She knocked her back against the tree bark and then down in shame and looked at the ground in front of herself.  
  
"Shinji you still could have easily taken advantage of me yesterday in more ways than one. Why didn't you?"  
  
"Because I'd never do that to you Asuka, no matter how drunk you are." He smiled, "You are my friend and friends don't do that." Her heart skipped a beat and she was left speechless. Shinji just looked up at the bright blue sky with only a few pillow clouds in sight.  
  
"Now we've got to think of something to get you out of this mess. Misato knows about you running off during our walk to school. If she didn't then Section Two isn't doing their jobs very well so we'll assume she knows. I could just tell Misato I said a very terrible thing to you during our walk to school and you ran off because of it. Perfect, it'll also cover up the drinking binge you had."  
  
She though she might cry. Not only did Shinji not take advantage of her and then tell her the truth, he's now also offering her a way out of trouble paid with by his own neck. He was stepping into the line of fire for her for no reason.  
  
"Ante baka," she cried under her breath. 'He's biting the bullet for me.'  
  
"Asuka what's wrong?"  
  
"You idiot! Why would you do something like that! There's no need for you to get in trouble too! Don't you even care about getting punished?" Shinji just looked at her in silence trying to understand why she objected to his plan of action. Asuka patience was wearing thin waiting for him to respond.  
  
"Well!... You really are an clueless baka aren't you!" she yelled.  
  
"Look Asuka it'd be better if I took this one because Misato probably not punish me very hard if at all and get you'd get off scott free." She shed a tear from right eye that Shinji couldn't see and sighed.  
  
"Sounds good then," she muttered weakly and disheartened.  
  
"Okay well I have got to go to the grocery store to pick ingredients for tonights dinner and some general stuff, you want to come with me?"  
  
"Thanks, but no, I'm going home."  
  
"Alright then," he said smiling and lifted himself up against the trunk of the tree and began walking away. Leaving Asuka sitting there at the tree staring at the grass by her ankles.  
  
"Baka, she said quietly whilst staring off into the wild blue yonder.  
  
Shinji finished gathering and paying for his food at the Tokyo-3 Kwik- E-Mart.  
  
"Thank you and please come again!" the Indian clerk said to him as he left. Shinji entered the streets of the metropolis once again and rounded a corner on his left and was immediately greeted by a blue head of hair.  
  
"Ayanami?" The young woman turned around. 'Yep, definitely Ayanami.'  
  
"Hello Ikari."  
  
"What're you doing in part of town now if I'm not poking your privacy?"  
  
"You are not. I was requested temporarily at Nerv today. I am on my way to my quarters."  
  
"Okay," He was waiting for the crosswalk sign to turn green. But while he was waiting he'd have the opportunity to talk to her. "Ayanami, if it's not too early for you, and its not for me." His speech stumbled. "If you'd like to come to our home now. You could help me cook." He asked hopefully. She was silent for a few moments before speaking.  
  
"Very well I graciously accept."  
  
"No need to be formal with me Ayanami." He bugged.  
  
"May I help you with your bags Ikari?"  
  
"Okay." He fished for the lightest of the many bags he carried and gave it to her. She gawked at it not accepting.  
  
"I mean to help you Ikari, perhaps a bit more than an onion."  
  
"Sorry Ayanami." He lets a medium slide down his wrist to his left hand and offers to her with the small one. She accepted both reluctantly. "I, well, you look very um, not designed to carry much." 'Smooth Shinji,' an inner voice harassed.  
  
"I am aware, although my looks may be deceiving as I participate in Nerv's Fitness Training Program.  
  
"Oh I didn't know you did that too. How long have you been doing it?" They both rounded another street corner getting closer and closer to the apartment.  
  
"Approxiamentely four years."  
  
"That long eh? Maybe you could give me some pointers." He laughed. "I started only a few months ago, maybe two.  
  
"That would be acceptable." The corners of her mouth upturned slightly but disappeared quickly. 'What has just happened? My cheeks felt warm. I do not understand.'  
  
They were there and Shinji and Rei stepped inside the complex's elevator. He punched the 23rd floor's button and the doors closed soon after.  
  
"Ayanami, Asuka will be here and I don't think she that she likes you very much. But maybe," he paused a bit trying to choose his words carefully. "If you show a bit more personality while your there."  
  
'Excellent Pilot Sohryu will be present.' He gulped.  
  
"Just try not to be as stoic as you usually are I guess." He said with a crooked smile.  
  
"I understand, I harbor no ill will towards Pilot Sohryu and it would be pleasant for her to cease referring to me as 'Wondergirl'" Shinji snorted and laughed. Rei looked at him trying to figure out why he was having difficulty breathing. "Are you having respiratory problems Ikari?"  
  
"No Ayanami, I'm fine, sorry it was just kind of funny hearing you say that." They stepped from the elevator's open doors and to the door of his apartment. He fished in his pocket for his keycard, retrieved it and swiped it into the lock reader. Hearing an electric click and seeing the green light he opened the door and moved inside Rei following close behind. He placed the bags on the counter and Rei did the same in sync with him.  
  
"Hey I'm home, I'm going to start dinner!" He heard a bedroom door slide open and shut and Misato rounded the corner into the kitchen.  
  
"Hello Shinji, Rei." She said smiling and striding towards the fridge to grab another beer. Her mind sparked as she opened the fridge door and looked back up at them.  
  
"Rei?... What're you doing here?"  
  
"Ikari invited me for dinner, If my presence is not content with you then I shall leave."  
  
"No, no it's great you here I was just - surprised that's all." She pivoted her head at Shinji and by the way she was smirking and her eyes looked devilish he knew something was coming.  
  
"Oooo Shinji inviting your girlfriend over for dinner eh?"  
  
"No it's not like that!"  
  
"Hehe," she giggled, "a secret relationship! How romantic!"  
  
"Misato!"  
  
"Oh I'm only teasing!" She moved over next to the boy as hey was setting up pots and pans. She started drinking.  
  
"Um Misato about Asuka skipping school the other day, that my fault. When were talking on our way to school a made a really mean comment to her and." He was cut off.  
  
"Stuff it Shinji," She said taking another glug of beer. "She already sat down and told me everything when she got back so don't try to take the heat for this."  
  
"I see. She was punished?"  
  
"Yah I suspended her piloting for a week and made her sync tests two hours longer. And I'm also making her attend a few after-school remedial classes for drinking like she did and going off on an emotional trip for something as trivial as she did."  
  
Shinji was very surprised. 'She didn't let me do it. Why? Could it be that she actually gives a crap about me or was it just a guilt trip?'  
  
"The punishment is a bit harsh don't you think?"  
  
"She asked for a hard one. So I gave it to her." Shinji decided to leave the subject where it was for now and get cracking on dinner. However these statements did not go unnoticed by Rei Ayanami.  
  
"I guess I'll start dinner, hey Ayanami." But she wasn't there. "Ayanami?"  
  
Rei knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in," Rei opens the door. The girl inside gives her a strange contorted look. "Wondergirl? What are you I my room for?" she said angrily.  
  
"I wish to discuss the earlier events of today with you. Ikari seems distraught over them."  
  
"What? Did the Commander send you to fill out a report or something?" She mocked.  
  
Rei teeth clenched. "No I have come of my own accord. I have also noticed that Ikari has come to school with an increasing amount of bodily wounds. I have reason to believe that most or all are inflicted by you." Asuka scoffed at her.  
  
'Wondergirl coming here on her own. Unlikely.' Asuka knew everything Rei said was right but right now she would still never listen to her of all people.  
  
"What're you getting at Wonder Bitch?" She said threateningly. Rei was frustrated now, she would rarely get twisted over anything, but this was something she'd sworn she do and it was for a friend.  
  
"If you don't stop hurting Shinji I will find him a more suitable place to live. Far from you." Rei shot with a noticeable amount of anger at Asuka. Asuka head panged with fear. She wanted to mock her for being a doll but couldn't after what Rei just said. with feeling.  
  
'What in Himmel?' They both stared at another in silence. Asuka gulped nervously like a young child in front of their parents. She knew Rei could probably do it too. You can't get that close the Commander without perks. Rei also had a higher security clearance than anyone here including Misato. 'Why does she care?' Rei regained her usually calm and stoic stance.  
  
"Sohryu the next time I am here on unfriendly terms you will now know why. I will have Ikari reassigned to new quarters and you brought up on harassment and abuse charges. Also please stop calling me a 'Wonder Girl.' Other than that I have no particular animosity against you." Rei turned towards the door of Asuka room and slid it back open. "But I do find that you taking responsibility for your actions was quite admirable." She left the room and closed the door. Asuka just stared at the closed door trying to take in what everything she just heard.  
  
"DAAAMN!" The sinister man with glasses in the dark room slurred. "If she wonder bitched me like that I would have slapped that beeho silly! Poppy you see dat!" The sinister man's older assistant calmly spoke not out of his normal mannerism.  
"Yes, that Rei chick is quite the bomb."  
  
Author's Rant  
  
AH! ALL DONE THAT WAS LONG! HET REVIEW! Should I keep Motoko or not! I'd like a every review to have a yes or no pleaz! HEY NO MORE SHINJI-ASUKA THREATS! You people get scary about that.I still haven't decided who he's going to end up with anyways. All in all it wasn't a very funny chapter but who really gives a damn. Nobody that's who. Anyways REVIEW! I won't post CHAPTER 6: 'This isn't Normal' till I get at least 50 reviews! It may involved dinner that night but I'm not sure But they'll be traveling to Nerv the next day for sync tests and I'll developed Motoko Marina a lot if you ask! Things like her mother died while working on the EVA project! Hmmm! And an angel may attack who knows! NOBODY WILL IF YOU GUYS DON'T REVIEW! Muahahahha Come on its not hard. You don't have to be a member of FF.net to do it! Just scroll to bottom left of the page and submit one! GWAR ITS SO EASY! I love using cheap tactics like this. 


	6. The Second Encounter

Haluu peoples. Yes I am back! After nearly a year of just…. Blahr and gwar. Well here's the deal with this chapter, I wrote it a while ago I just never put it up. I haven't even read through it I'm just going to post it right now anyways because I'm bored. It's kind of a jump from the last chapter. The children are now at nerv for one of the more infamous sync tests. Well I let you read it now, rant later. I have no real idea what happens in here, just read and review anyways or no chap 7, which I have also wrote last year. Random 1337 is still my idol, I'm still an uber-lazy high school student, and I still don't own Evangelion, Gainax does! And if I don't watch my ass with these disclaimers, they'll own me too.

**Changing Attitudes Chapter 6**

**Chapter 6: _The Second Encounter_**

"Why do we have to do this every week?" He said to himself not forgetting the fact that the other two pilots were in the locker bay and listening.

"What kind of stupid question is that! Besides it's not like YOU have anything better to do." Asuka replied as a matter of factly and without her usual mocking tone. Her voice then got quiet and wishful thinking came to mind. "I could be at the mall right now."

"It is out duty as pilots of Nerv and the guardians of the human race. These tests are performed to ascertain whether we will be ready to act when the call arises." Calmly added by Rei Ayanami. He sighed in retaliation.

"Yea, I guess your right Ayanami." Asuka brow furrowed.

'That jerk just completely ignored me! Finally showing a bit of spine eh Shinji?' She smirked but in a positive way. Only a white nylon curtain separated the pilots as they changing from their clothes into their plug suits. They had no problem seeing each others shadows through it. Shinji slipped his right arm through the plug suit and pulled it on and pressed the button on his left wrist. It instantly sucked up to his skin with a hiss. Quite a bit was going on the young pilots mind. He looked up to a ceiling light and wondered.

"Ayanami?" She made no response but stopped moving behind the curtain as if acknowledging him.

"Why do you pilot Eva?" Rei had to think about it but quickly came up with an answer though quietly as if slightly ashamed.

"I…" She was interrupted by the entrance of Doctor Ritsuko Akagi.

"You should all be ready by now. We're prepared to initiate the test."

"Yes" Shinji replied.

"Yes" Rei replied

"Let's get this over with" Asuka demanded.

"YOU WANT US TO WHAT!"

"The test requires the clearest feedback possible, your plug suit inhibits our objective of this test. Hence we've eliminate any interference short of your own skin, It's a simple solution. No plug suits." Announced the intercom with Doctor's voice.

"SO STRIP DOWN!" Added Misato gleefully having fun with the situation.

"Then what will we wear!" Asuka cried refusing to accept what they just said.

"You won't be wearing anything. I thought I made that relatively obvious."

"No way!" She whined. "I won't let my body become a spectacle for every single pervert in Nerv! There's already one too many of them just in this room!" The remark was clearly targeted at Shinji. Asuka was quite upset.

"Nonetheless, this test is required and don't worry we'll respect your privacy. Every security camera from here to the test platform are disabled and the techinicians are on lunch break. No one will see you."

"WHOOPADY DOO! Didja ya forget the two people I'm standing next to Docter!" She placed her hands on her hips in a fury."

"Well just don't look at another."

"What kind of solution is that!" She threw her right arm behind her back and pointed at Shinji. "It's fine for Wondergirl but I swear I won't let this hentai see my gorgeous body! Can't we wear towels to until we get to the plugs!"

"No they would leave fibers all over your skin and contaminate the fresh LCL. It would interfere too much. However we will have them waiting for you when the test ends."

"Still how the hell am I going to change in front of HIM!"

"We'll turn off the lights. After your finished, walk from the sterilization chamber one by one to your individual plugs." Misato heard this and simply couldn't resist the urge.

"Too bad Asuka, now you won't be able to peek on Shinji either!"

"Misato your so full of it! I could…" Ritsuko slapped off the intercom.

"Misato is provoking her really necessary?"

"Just spicing things up!" She giggled.

"Things don't need spicing up." She said drably.

"Oh your no fun!" Ritsuko looked at her coworker and friend with contempt.

'She'll never change.' She opened the intercom back up and leaned over the microphone.

"Okay I'm turning off the lights now."

"I HATE Y…" She slapped the intercom back off.

The lights clicked off and Shinji could immediately hear a plug suit depressurize, he did the same, and another quickly followed. The environment around them was silent aside from the rustling of the pilots removing their plug suits.

"Shinji stay on your side of the room!"

"But Asuka I am on the other…"

"I SAID STAY!" He decided to not tick her off further and stayed put which he was already.

'She's just psycho sometimes. Although it's been a while since she's gotten this riled up. I hope it doesn't last.' He then realized the situation a scant meter or three in front of him. He gulped. 'Holy crap, they're both naked and only feet in front of me. I can hear Asuka's breathing. Oh man this isn't good.' His subconscious started thinking for his body. 'No, no not now! Baseball, soccer, basketball, baseball, soccer, basketball.'

The computer screen bleeped and Maya Ibuki answered quickly looking up from her manga.

"Hmmm, Shinji's pulse and neural feedback is rising. But I think it's alright.' Ritsuko leaned beside Maya and pressed the intercom button.

"Okay you'll need to deposit your plug suits in the disposal chute. It's immediately underneath the green led light."

Asuka immediately flocked to the light and threw her plug suit down in front of the light. She moved quickly back to the other side of the room. Rei and Shinji on the other side other hand cautiously approached the light. Rei placed her white suit into the chute and turned away from it. However she walked directly into Shinji felling them both. His plug suit flew from his hand and into the chute but that was unnoticeable compared to his current situation. He fell to the floor but stopped his descent with his left hand and felt something… soft and warm in the right.

Ooff Rei simply gave a soft gasp as they fell.

"Sorry!" he shrieked as they fell but was quickly silenced.

Shinji mouth was covered. The room was totally silent and the two were frozen whilst tangled over another. The soft warm object in his hand rose and fell. 'Oh my God! It's a breast! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!' But the thought melted from his mind as he realized were his lips were. They were on another pair of lips. He wouldn't be able to move right now if it meant his life. 'I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!'

"What the hell was that! What are you apologizing for! What hentai thing is he doing to you Ayanami!" she screamed the last part very loudly.

Ritsuko had heard Asuka's statement over the speaker but frankly could give a rat's ass, she was too busy daydreaming about her many cats. Makoto and Shigeru didn't didn't care because they were too busy playing blackjack. And Maya noticed but waved it off as she was busy also reading the most recent issue of her favorite manga.

Although the sinister man with glasses had noticed and taken account. Sitting over his giant desk he opened a special drawer and flipped a green button. The screen in front of him warped to green as the night vision capability in the security camera activated.

"Shinji you Casanova!" He took another spoonful of his ice cream.

Shinji's mind flashed. 'Asuka's over there so this must be.' He paused and relaxed slightly knowing that he could come out of this alive. 'Rei.'

"ANSWER ME!" Asuka yelled. "That's it I'm coming over there!" She walked randomly around the room searching for them because there was simply no sight to be had in the pitch black darkness. She came from 4 feet from them , 2 feet, 6 inches. The intercom crackled over the silence.

"Asuka you may go to your plug first now." Asuka huffed.

"Fine, whatever!" She turned on her heel and stormed out covering her private parts with her hands as she made her way to the sterilization chamber.

Meanwhile Shinji and Rei still had not disentangled themselves from another. Shinji body was hung over hers. Skin to skin and limbs were tangled. Shinji felt Rei relax under him. He gained control back over his body and slowly lifted his head from hers an inch or two.

"Ayanami I'm so sorry. It was an accident." He voice got louder and nervous. "Rei I'm so sorry! Accident… It was…" Rei slid her hand down his arm and grasped his hand gently with hers. She didn't know what compelled her to do it, she just did. He got much more nervous very quickly but it faded fast.

"Do not worry Shinji. I know it was an accident. I was not harmed. Were you in any way hurt?"

"No."

She smiled faintly but Shinji couldn't see it. "This is not the first time this has happened to us, ne?" She giggled quietly and softly. This shocked Shinji.

'Rei… Rei just made a joke?' He thought with disbelief. 'She giggled… Rei giggled.' He didn't know what to do other than chuckle softly with her. He was feeling many things at this point. Her grip around his hand tightened but quickly loosened as the speaker above them cracked to life.

"Rei, Asuka is in her plug you may go out now." Ritsuko ordered.

"Hai." She lifted herself up and pressed herself against Shinji's body and slipped out from under him with ease. But in both ways of fortune her body completely brushed Shinji's body. She got up a silently left to her entry plug. Meanwhile his subconscious had taken control again.

'Oh jeez why did you have to go like that Rei! Oh jeez.'

'You know it felt great!' a voice in his mind said.

'Errr!' He shot back. 'What am I going to do now stupid! Everyone will see it when I go out!' The voice said nothing but Shinji knew it was entertained.

The computer screen bleeped again. Maya checked what is was this time. 'Whoa, his heart rate is up and his feedback is erratic. I better check the thermal cam.' She clicked it on and she saw nothing out of the usual aside from the fact that Shinji was on his knees not moving at all. That is until he turned around.

'Oh my,' she put her hand her hand to her mouth and giggled lightly. 'Well I guess an occasional spontatneous one is normal for a boy his age. 'His age? Your only 23 Maya, only 7 seven years apart. Do you have any idea how old you sound when you say things like that. Hell, he is old enough to date you!' A voice in her mind complained. She realized that did sound kind of old and Shinji was more or less a man now. Still she couldn't stop herself from staring at the thermal image a bit longer after her realization. 'Ara ara, I still didn't expect that from him.'

He was still breathing nervously and still very aroused when Ritsuko's voice broke over the speaker. "All right Shinji your turn."

'What I can't go out there like this!' He looked down at himself. There's no way they wouldn't see that.' It may have been dark in the room and the sterilization chamber but the platform is as well light anywhere in Nerv. He took his hands and covered himself and decided to sprint for the plug.

'Dream on baka, that would only draw more attention.' An inner voice sniped. How was going to have a meltdown if he couldn't come up with something and quick. The speaker popped on again.

"Shinji I said it was your turn. Go on, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." If his face could break it would do it right now. Misato slapped the microphone into her hand.

"Shinji get out there now! We don't have time for this!" She said impatiently. Shinji was stumped on what to do so he decided to go down in a ball of flames.

"Don't look!" Ritsuko jut rolled her eyes. Shinji gulped dryly down and moved to the sterilization chamber. The cold woosh of air chilled him although that felt like next to nothing when he hit the platform area. It was like a shock to his system and his body shuddered. He quickly shambled outside onto the platform sideways, back to the Magi control center window high above and the Bridge Bunnies occupying it. Though he had requested them not to look, security protocols required at least three people to watch at all times when near active equipment.

"What is he doing?" Makoto said with disbelief. Several faces were raised from various activities and looked at the young man side-stepping across the platform cock-eyed. All of them had the same thing going through their minds, 'WTF?' Except for a Miss Ibuki who had already known what he was trying to hide. He jumped onto his test plug and opened the hatch a bit too hard and hit himself with it across the jaw.

"Awww, that smarts." But with no time to waste he hopped inside.

"Shinji are you alright!" Misato yelled. But no response came as he scrambled into the plug and shut the hatch unfortunately on his other hand.

"AHHHH!" he pulled in his hand quickly and shut it again finally sealed. The Bridge Bunnies all laughed though only Maya got the real joke.

'Hmm he's really filling out isn't he? Doesn't look half bad, nothing like when he first got here.' Noting his more developed muscles and more mature build. She giggled again.

"Oh Shinji your still such a kook."

He sat in the plug's form-fitting seat shivering nervously.

'Holy crap it's so cold out there and cold in here too. Man, I hope they didn't see me.' His thoughts were interrupted as something warm sloshed across his feet and rose up his legs. The plug was filling with lcl. He relaxed a bit and rolled his shoulders.

'Oh, warm, that's nice.' He exhaled.

"Okay this, other than your lack of garment will be a normal test so just focus as usual. By the way," she paused, "interesting entrance Shinji." Some technicians could be heard snickering in the background.

'Why must she they torture me.'

"What is she talking about Shinji?" Asuka messaged quizzically. She saw Shinji look down at him self and away from the intercom's camera and sighed. 'Must have been embarrassing. I wont torture him this time,' she turned her head sideways, ' I didn't wanna walk in front of those pervs naked either.' She clicked the intercom off and the floating screen collapsed into itself. 'I'll ask him later about what happened in the changing room though. Mein Gott I hope what I think happened didn't happen.'

'All this LCL feels so weird naked.' His face jerked involuntarily, the temperatures between his appendages and the lcl was beginning to equalize. His body calmed and his mind shifted back to previous events.

'Rei, I… I kissed her, by accident but still. Geez, and we were both naked too. Nothing like the first time it happened.' His mind flashed back to the time he attempted to delivered to her her new ID card. 'Although she didn't get mad at me for that incident, not even irritated. But even so if she told me it was an accident it's so hard to tell what she's thinking. It's that mask of hers, impenetrable. But she giggled then, she actually giggled and made a joke. I think I'm really making strides with her. But still it's hard to tell what any woman thinks. I hope we don't have to do this naked thing very often'

Rei sat in her plug unmoving and emotionless as per usual. Although her mindset was anything but usual for her, it was in a frenzy at least by her standards.

Author's Rant

Blah blah blah, just review and leave comments, If I get plenty I WILL post the next chapter in a due amount of time. Although I have to take a little while and get my bearings on this story again. Like I said it's almost been a year since I've even looked at it. Depending on the response and the fact that I have a nice new shiny laptop so I can type anywhere I'll keep writing. I'll do a plot rant next chappy after I figure out what the hell is going on.


	7. The First After the Second

HEY EVERYBODA! hmmm, so this is about the first post I've made in a year, and the last post was about a year after the one before that. Awesome. At this rate i should be finished by 2029! Just in time for us all to find out who killed JFK! I bet that'll be a good year. ANYWAYS! In the chapter and in future chapters I'm implementing a new thought system! YEs yes, all thoughts will be in **_Italics!_** Oooh Aahh, yes i know. but i assure you if your brain explodes as a result then there probably won't be much to clean up SO DONT WORRY! And excuse the crappy spelling on my German. I'm fluent I am! Just drunk.. as I will mention in the future.

HEY GUESS WHAT! NEW CHARACTER! WHY? BECAUSE I CAN! Suck it Steve!

Tis been so long since the last post. A little insane. I speak freaking Chinese now! And I'm in college and I'm traveling abroad and all these fun and wonderful things. Although I am one hell of a bum again.

(there is no Steve, or Stephen as his also fake mother would call him)… I've been drinking.

So anyways I'm no longer a lazy high school student, but a lazy college student! I faintly remember who Random1377 or somewhateverwho is! And HEY! I don't own Evangelion! But from the sounds of it Peter Jackson might SO THEY BETTER MAKE THAT FREAKING MOVIE!

Frodo can be fuyutski. Or ian mcCellan whatever.

**Changing Attitudes Chapter 7**

**Chapter 7: _The First After the Second_**

The Blue Renault blew down the highway so fast trash cans were rolling behind it in its air stream. Occasionally swerving right and left between other cars and rarely around the pedestrian who was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Yes, one thing was certain: Misato is driving. _DUMBASSES!_ Misato's mind screamed. She fervently hit at her automobiles horn to make her presence known to all those who might potentionally slow her down.

"I _STILL_ can't believe you people made us do that!" Half of the NERV staff is going to be having nasty hentai fantasies about molesting my young body tonight! Noooo!" She twistingly cried whilst folding her arms.

"Well get used to it, you got another one coming up today too." '_Hell, it might become a regular thing if these kids pull dumb antics like that all the time_,' she mused cruelly.

"What!"

"And the month after that, and the month after that." Yes, Misato decidedly wanted to make the young twit squirm in her seat nay, her very skin. '_Muhahahahahha.'_

_RRAAAAHHH _Asuka shrieked angrilyBut of course with Asuka's timeless, er, well matured ability to keep bitching Misato had already decided to diffuse it somewhat so she wouldn't have to listen to Asuka's rants when she cracked open some booze back home. She swerved hard around a crappy Korean car with a prude of a driver who was hardly breaking 160KPH. "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!"

"Oh please, quit your whining Asuka. No one saw you, not me, not Hyuga, not even Shinji. So can it!" Oddly in a moment when Asuka became ever so slightly reasonable she clammed up. She crossed her arms over her breasts, sighing defeatedly and staring out the windowing with a look that sensed inevitable doom.

T birds were chirping, people walked all friendly-like amongst another beneath the lovely blue sky, with hardly a low whispy cloud in sight. Twas a fine day for the people in the Greater Tokyo-3 Area.

One of Asuka's more favored times of the day had finally rolled around. Lunchtime. When she could socialize with her schoolmates and fans without worry to her schedule as NERV most often let the pilots keep their whole schools days when of course, they had school days. What with the periodical total destruction of Tokyo-3. It was amazing how fast Tokyo-3 could be rebuilt after each Angel Attack. So amazing that no one could think of an explanation for it…..

Striding across the courtyard confidently Asuka decided to have a slightly more private day to her and Hikari behind the tree near the classic red brick wall that encompassed the front end of the metro school as the style so commonly does in Asian schools. So they could socialize and talk about recent events. Asuka had a decent sum of things to talk to Hikari about.

Suddenly without any notice the boy had fallen upside down out of nowhere with a sly smirk on his face stopping about eye-level with the stunned red-head. She immediately noticed his features, they practically assaulted her, especially being in that he was so close. Close enough that hell, he might have even bonked his grey-haired head on hers on the way down. Split sort've shaggy-like sideways and with piercing blue eyes to boot it was to say, a shade of uniqueness she didn't often see around Tokyo. He spoke in a shortly mock French accent, but quickly made clear he was no Frenchman.

"Hallo Mon Cherie.

Deine Langes Röt Haar, Deine blau Augen, Deine abenteurlich Lächeln.

(your long red hair, your blue eyes, your adventurous smile)

Meine Schönlich Mädchen, Ich heisse Elric Kiirvaks. I come from America, have a pet gecko, and like long walks on the beach. But since the beaches around here are littered with random industrial waste and the occasional body of some poor schmoe who slighted the Yakuza, I'm willing to settle for a bike ride through Akihabara."

SUDDENLY WORLD BECOMES SOFTLY STENCILED AGAIN WITH SORT OF ROMANTIC BIG WETISCH EYES ON ELRIC!

"Anyways, such an attractive young woman who can so simply draw me single-mindedly across these grounds just so i can get a little closer so that I might be able to comprehend if only more slightly the caliber of a beauty such as yourself, could only be, yes. You must be the second child." He hummed shortly in a ponderous sort've way. "I know it, but I fear that my world will somehow seem cracked, if not broken if I can not hear it roll out from your lips and your lips alone."

"Bitte, zeigen mir deiner Name. Meine Welt ist ohne sie defekt." He reached down, or up, to gently grasp her hand in his and brought it to his mouth where he laid the most sauve kiss upon it.

Asuka simply stammered, dumbfounded by the sudden barrage, the shock of which was strangely euphoric to her. But Asuka, being one of the tallest proverbial blades of grass, was not offset for long. Despite sudden appearance of the handsome clearly foreign man who so suddenly caught her like a deer in the headlights, she was going to make him pay dearly for the offense. But just as quickly as her hand flexed tightly on his preparing to yank him off the wall onto the duracrete ground where she promptly blugedon him to near-death, she relaxed her grip as her mind was put back in motion.

_'THAT SON OF A BITCH! EVERYONE IS LOOKING! IF I DONT SHUT HIS ASS DOWN NOW IT"S GOING TO MAKE A PRECEDENT FOR ALL THE OTHER NASTY-ASS HENTAIS! Although, that was pretty slick, and I have to say, he's not that bad looking even with that pink scar thing on his throat. UND MEIN GOTT! ER SPRECHT DEUSTCH! Although he's clearly an American, that's not that bad. Still.._

_**his ass is grass.'**_

In a honey sweet voice she coalesced to his plea.

"I am indeed the great 2nd child! Asuka Langley Sohryu! And this my dear boy, IS A PILEDRIVER!" She gripped his hand and reached for the other arm about to heave him down but in a whish of movement he was free of her and sitting straight up on the brick wall with a ponderous gaze towards the horizon as he looked back down at her.

"Danke, Mon Cherie. You have fulfilled my greatest desire I've ever had in these within the past couple minutes or so. Do you know where I can find the First and Third?"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH GET DOWN HERE SO I CAN BEAT YOUR MONKEY ASS!"

No thanks, but I assure you, we'll have time to play later. Wink Oh Gomen, I've just gone and spotted the first and third on the roof. Excuse me." With that he promptly fell backwards over the wall onto the street sidewalk in a move that any observer in the courtyard could assume would end with a dozen stitches in his skull but amazingly no such thud was to be heard and life continued as normal. Normal being that, a dozen girls surrounded Asuka pleading to know who that was and how he was so familar with her. Hikari could be seen trying to diffuse the lot despite her own raging curiosity. From the look on Asuka's face, she clearly had no answers to give.

"NOW WHO THE HELL SAW THAT COMING! THAT SHIT'S WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!"

"Hells ya." Muttered the man's assistant. "Hit the rock playa."

The mysterious man upon prompting did indeed, hit the rock.

"So you're saying you have no idea who that was?"

"NONE HIKARI! How many times do I have to tell you! I don't know that baka-shit from adam! I CAN"T BELEIVE HOW FRESH WITH ME THAT MOFO GOT! Next time I see him I'm going to plow his ass into the wall." She screeched as they rounded the corner towards the classroom."

"Hmm, well here's your chance I guess."

"_What are you..?_" As she let slip that final word her rage suddenly coagulated within her veins and rushed to her fists. Elric, the grey haired boy who had so affronted her was sitting in the window aisle right behind so strategically behind Wondergirl, gazing to the outside world in just the same fashion she does. '_Typical the weirdoes all sit in the same section.' _She immediately started her march over to him, clearly moving to the opposite side of the room than where her seat was. Regardless of the determination in her eyes, some poor fool had decided to interrupt her doom trek.

"Miss Sohryu what are you doing? You are a minute late and this class is in session, sit down!" The elder teacher's voice broke her pace and while bubbling, she could stand to wait before beating baka-shit's ass mercilessly. She gave a low huff and turned her laser eyes away from the boy more towards her own seat. "Now turn to page 325 in your history textbook!"

"Hai Sensei." She did as commanded. _'Ah, Mein Gott, It's world war 2! NOT ANOTHER LESSON ABOUT THE DAMN SECO... Damn't, no, the kanji was just a little smudged.'_

"Now in the aftermath of the Second Impact, the various surviving nation-states were forced to..."

'_I'm bugging out Sensei!..Now to the hit-list.'_ Now while a few boys, especially Kensuke, one of the three stooges had a decent beating coming to them, this Kiirvaks boy really performed quite outstandingly, in that, he was now at the top of the list just above Kensuke's business partner in Class 3-C, Torimoto Morishita. Though Asuka did seriously have to admit to herself it wasn't all _that bad_, kind of exciting actually, especially now that he's apparently a student here. Not to say she was interested in him, just to say, that he was a somewhat interesting character, one who unfortunately would have to go down Asuka's meat grinder just as quickly as he arrived here. But he's obviously no Japanese fan-boy-_esque_ weirdo. Hum.

'_He's aggressively American? But he spoke German so well! Where is he really from? WHO THE HELL IS HE? I like his combat boots... Who the hell wears combat boots with a school uniform? He's opening his lapto.. damn, it's not a school laptop. I need have a heart to heart chat with his monkey-ass about the pecking order around here. Just who the hell is this guy? He's typing something!.. Damn, I can't see through the privacy screen! Ayanami started typing something.. are they talking? Bastards! WHO THE HELL IS HE?' _Now that she noticed, there was indeed a name on the class intra-net list that she had never seen before. _**FilthyMongol.** _She opened a chat window.

Red-HairedBeauty ELRIC KIRVAAKs?

FilthyMongol One A, two i's.

Red-HairedBeauty what?

FilthyMongol Really it's not that hard now. _**Kiirvaks**._ See? I spelled it out for you. And guess what! The plural form of my last name is the same thing as the singular! So no messing around with silly grammar!

Red-HairedBeauty ...

FilthyMongol Oh. YES I AM HE! THE ONE KNOWN AS KIIRVAKS! I hope I didn't terribly embarrass you earlier. Pardon the drop, but I was there for a bit, and coincidentally you happenstanced by.

Red-HairedBeauty ...HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS ME?

FilthyMongol I can hear your typing from across the class and correlate it with ending every time a message poofs out of magical technological nowhere... that and your screen name gives it away pretty easily and oh how apt! anyways not many red heads in here is there? oh, dreadful lie saying I crossed the courtyard for you, but you know, your beauty as radiant as it is, it just tugged the words straight out from my very soul! or some suave crap like that

Red-HairedBeauty IM GONNA KICK YOUR ASS UP AND DOWN THIS HALLWAY AFTER CLASS!

FilthyMongol Lovely thought, we'll have to get a little kinky like that sometime then. Hmm, you know, it's a shame right now really. We'll have to cut this conversation a tad short second child, don't miss me too hard. _Late_

The shocked huh? could easily be heard from across the room however the teacher did not stutter in what was now mathematics. _'THIS MOFO IS SO...! ERRR!'_

Red-HairedBeauty WAIT! Where are you from again and are you a new Evangelion pilot? You are a foreigner.. here for a reason?

Her ego could be somewhat threatened by the proposition of a new pilot to compete with.

FilthyMongol no, not an evangelion pilot. and Cincinnati in America. Which by the way is the sister city to your hometown Munich! NBC's _The More You Know_ animation plays across Asuka's screen somehow. 

FilthyMongol _late, Kraut!_

Red-HairedBeauty _I WILLCRAMYOURTESTICLESSOFAR DOWNYOURTHROAT..._

CHAT SESSION CLOSED

Promptly from across the room a short shuffling can be heard and the teacher stammers to a pause in his teaching. "Oh yes, yes pardon me. You may go now Mr. Kiirvaks," he declared in his tired voice.

"Arigatou Sensei." Mr. Kiirvaks silently slipped his thin metallic computer into his beaten brown leather satchel and exited the room without any explanation to his actions. The cumulative class reaction was predictable to the young man. No introduction except for his episode in the school courtyard and leaving class early without a known explanation. It was frankly quite odd to everyone. Except of course a Miss Ayanami, as she is often little impressed with the drama of her surroundings.

_How does he know where I was born! ERRRRR_

Shinji was quite impressed with the guy already, he seemed quite friendly. If he was going to have another teenage co-worker at NERV he was pretty glad this one seemed at least bit closer to normal than what his other co-workers were. Not tremendously over-powering like Asuka, though she has let up significantly on that lately, not to say it couldn't revert to normal at any time without notice but with power unlike the ridiculously under-powered Rei, although he seemed to find her more and more interesting every day since she and him started doing the roof lunch thing. Which of course was where he and Rei met Elric today. Funny sort of introduction too. A funny little poetic intro, then to the point, very friendly...

RED-HAIREDBEAUTY HAS INVITED YOU TO TOKYO545

ACCEPT CHAT?

Shinji of course knew that he had no choice in the matter. He could either accept the lashing in electronic form now or physical/verbal form later.

Red-HairedBeauty Hellooo Shinji-baka!

CelloMiXMaster Hi, what's up Asuka?

Red-HairedBeauty You seem rather unaffected by this crap? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM?

CelloMiXMaster Kiirvaks-san?

Red-HairedBeauty NO SHIT!

CelloMiXMaster well not too much, he seems nice he's from cincinnati, where ever that is and oh ya! he's 17. i know that and well he muttered something about the yakuza mucking up the beaches?

Red-HairedBeauty NEVERMIND!

CelloMiXMaster gomen i'm just trying to help you because you asked...

Red-HairedBeauty sigh, i know baka. calm down before you blow a sprocket

Red-HairedBeauty there was something I needed to talk to you about

HANDSOME NARRATOR: but then again since I've been gone for like a year so I can't really rememeber so... PLOT HOLE! _magical transportation powers of cheap writing_

Asuka sat in her chair, suffering the, by her level, a mathematical lesson for retards. Yes, she had taken Honors Calculus in college but she was forced to sit through this all again with all the other uneducated teens as part of participating in school. Numbers however unlike other subjects was a universal language, not requiring terribly complex kanji for her to comprehend. Regardless she truly didn't have to do school, but she would have nothing else to do during the day and school does wonders for her kanji and social life.

_Buzz Buzz Buzz_.

'_NERV! MEIN GOTT, COULD IT BE ANOTHER ANGEL!' _She quickly whipped out her cell phone but immediately noticed it wasn't a phone call at all, but a text message from an unidentified source. She though perhaps it could be a mistake or a spam message. But she didn't have anything better to do in the classShe hit open message.

"Hey there _Second Child_ I just forgot one little thing to tell you in one of our little heart to heart chat. Yesterday,_ man_, the nude sync test, I was there on the alcove above when you were getting out. I just have to say.

_Magnificent! _

_Sincerely,_

_Elric Kiirvaks_

Asuka was literally paralyzed in body and mind. That is until the hot blood finally got to her brain. She spasmed up from her chair in a bolt of speed and power.

"RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! FUCKING PERVERT! I'LL MAKE NERV PAY!" She screamed forgetting where she was.

"MISS SOHRYU! GET OUT OF MY CLASS NOW! AND TAKE THE BUCKETS WITH YOU!"

__

Author's Note:

Don't youtz all worry about the next chapter. There WILL be one within a couple days, actually well, just as soon as I get those reviews MUAHAHA! So much time has passed and yet I'm still my whiney self about those things.

So anyways. Elric is going to become a big character in this, I mean, BIG. Like Shinji, Asuka, and Rei. Myahr. Oh yes. He will be neat, abeit recycled but with my somewhat flavorful twist and my good? Writing whereas a lot of the fics out there are just out of the box crap. He will be a dynamic character. And bear with me on the general movement of the story, I've been MIA for a long time. Actually I do have plans for this story to become more so serious. In later chapters it may become rated M I guess under this retarded system or have got going, anyways.

Funny, how old my last post really is, in it, I had just gotten my shiny new laptop. Now, like 18 months later, it's a heavy paperweight. But still pretty great for writing this stuff instead of putting it down on paper first. Irg, this format looks much better initially in word until goes and screws it up.

_See You Space Cowboy_


	8. New Dynamic

Author's Per-Noten Anyways since this is a fan-fiction and I can patch up any plot hole plausibly in anyway I see fit. I've decided to note that the time between Asuka's arrival on the UNCF Carrier _Over-The-Rainbow_ and the termination of the 8th Angel: Sandalphon is about 3 months relatively. To help round out any unwritten character development issues. Mind you, things have been going on that will be revealed later in the story. Tis my excuse to have to not deal with writing them and having them conveniently there when I want them! Plus I'm a busy college student who got a single review on his last chapter. Encouragement to continue isn't that high clearly…

**Changing Attitudes Chapter 8**

**Chapter 8: _New Dynamic_**

"That's good, keep going." A female voiced cooed calmly. Shinji was really starting to feel it now. As the pressure became greater and greater on him. It wasn't that bad what he was doing, the warm sensation of his body was actually somewhat pleasant.

"Ugh," He couldn't help but let out a little sigh. He shifted his body a bit but the feeling didn't change. He was naked, and this experience didn't feel like anything else he had felt before. He let out another gentle sigh of 'relief.' Maya didn't fail to notice the Third's apparent, _relaxed_ mood through the VidCom. From the bridge she could watch Shinji constantly without him knowing and thereby reacting. Affectively avoiding the principle that known measurements can in fact alter the subject itself, as long of course the OLED frame on the screen was red, meaning it wasn't currently a interface going both ways. She devilishly wondered what the Third Children was thinking about. _'No damn't, stop screwing around and get back to work Ibuki.'_

Taking a glance at the Magi's ever-changing sync-test reports, she was… surprised to say the least. "These are fantastic." Ritsuko printed it out and handed it to her subordinate. Lt. Ibuki's brow rose noticeably.

"Mam, what's wrong with this, it's astounding."

"Nothing, it's A good thing Lieutenant."

"Oh right. He-he. Gomen, my brain has been a little fried lately Sempai."

"It's alright Maya. But keep your sex life to yourself when on duty." She teased.

"SEMPAI!" She blushed.

"Relax. Anyways let's press this further though. Lower Asuka's and Shinji's depth by 0.15 and Rei's by 0.25." Maya furiously worked her keyboard doing as her superior said and opened a visual com to the Eva pilots. Shinji jumped a little in his cockpit when he saw the bright view box open out of nowhere. Asuka's face was tensing up trying to cope with the change. Shinji and Rei remained fine, the Magi bleeped another report.

"Excellent, Rei is up 14 points, Shinji 7 points, and Asuka 6. That's one hell of a jump. Maya, update the sync rate profiles. Rei is at 61, Shinji is at 67, and Asuka at 75."

"Files updated Sempai."

"Good." She grabbed the mic and spoke into the capsules. "Good work today, especially you Rei." Rei didn't respond, Ritsuko waited two seconds, but just wrote off the rudeness as Rei being Rei. "We're finished here kids, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here." She smirked to herself and glanced behind. The Bridge Bunnies had a bit of a pain look on their face, seemingly from the comment. Maya was typing at her computer and looking cautiously straight ahead. Although she noticed her Sempai's gaze landed on her, urging her to reply. She meekly crooned her head up. Ritsuko was still smirking waiting for a rating. Maya's eyes fell down a bit.

"That was lame Sempai…. Really lame." She turned right back towards her command console. Ritsuko's face fell; she had lost her smirk of verbal victory. Scowling she muttered angsty retort.

"Shut up Maya." She whined defeated. Her eyes lingered to the side and she decided she needed outta there. "I'll go forward these to Commander Ikari, take care of the rest Maya."

The COM link view screen still on, the children witnessed the event. Asuka snickered to herself. Shinji showed a little interest in his brow; however, Rei simply remained placid.

Shinji felt the LCL start to drain to the bottom of the plug.

"Hey Misato I think I'll walk myself home tonight, if that's alright with you."

"That's fine Shinji. You walk your little girlfriend Rei home, maybe if you're lucky she'll give you a kiss goodnight!" Misato teased.

"WHAT, NO! _It's not what you think! We're just..."_

"OH JEEZ SHINJI! You're such an easy mark! Just remember. Don't be a fool, wrap your tool!"

"_MISATO!"_

"Bye bye Shinji!" Misato yepped right before the garage elevator door closed.

Sigh _'She never lets up with that stuff; I swear she centers around it.'_

"Shinji, what tool in particular did Major Katsuragi wish you to wrap? And why would it be foolish not to?"

"Um, she was just teasing me Rei, you know, poking fun for hopeful mutual amusement." _'And failing.'_ He added snidely.

"I see." They started together towards the primary surface elevator bank to get out of the NERV Central and back up to the surface. Rounding another bulkhead corner in the massive pyramidal structure they were upon the cafeteria of which they had to pass through on this particular level.

"HEY SHINJI!" A voice that couldn't be mistaken anywhere despite not having known him terribly long, though he is around plenty with Misato. Ryougi Kaji waved the pair of pilots over to his circular table where across from him another young liege of NERV sat: Elric Kiirvaks. "Why hello there third and first children, fancy seeing you here!"

"Mister Ryougi I am unaware to the cause of your surprise seeing us here, we work at this facility creating a high probability of direct or indirect interaction with another." Of course, this is Rei speaking.

"Hmm well YOU KNOW Miss Rei Ayanami NERV Central is very large place with many different sections! Some of us work in other sections than you, creating a low probability of interaction, direct and otherwise!" Kaji rolled off as if he was prepared for Ayanami's blunt and ever-odd ways of saying things.

"I see."

"Oh Please sit down won't you two? I was just talking to my young Protégé here!"

"Protégé?" Shinji inquired?

"Well not per se, we're just in the same section here now and Kaji here helped train me a lot back in NERV Nevada and Germany. Although he's in and out around in Tokyo he's helping continue my informal education you see. What are we learning tonight again Kaji?"

"_How to play the field_ I do believe my young Padawan." Shinji's face immediately dropped hard onto the table.

"What field in particular may I ask Kiirvaks-san?" In the background Shinji yelped in pain as Kaji reset his dislocated jaw. No one other than Kaji seemed to take notice of the event.

"Recreational." Elric said with a sly smirk. Rei appeared unmoved as it apparently didn't answer the question enough for her to understand.

"Rei," Shinji said with a pained drawl, "I think he means skills in dealing with people, in particular women. Oww." He rubbed his jaw and nodded thanks to Kaji for his help.

"I believe I understand." The sort of awkward pause that is imitated after every time Rei talks, did of course, happen for a few moments before oddly the instigator broke the silence and Kaji suddenly went from hitting on a female tech(as he always does in his idle time) across the wide room to instantly back in his seat to continue the conversation.

"Kiirvaks-san, you never fully elaborated on why you are here in Tokyo, I wish to enquire what is your role here at NERV Central, I am aware that you have spent many years in operations in the Pan-Pacific theater, as well as training and administrative work in NERV America and NERV Germany."

"Oh well it seems you know plenty about me already, though in specificocity..." _'WHAT? Specificocity is a word?' _wildly thought Shinji. "I'm sort of a Jack-of-All-Trades. Primarily focused in security," said with a sharp, bright smile.

"Who's security?" Rei continued.

"Yours to be more precise! All youz pilots, The Director of Operations, Head of Science and Technology, the _Bridge Bunnies_ as it were. A lot of what I do most people aren't cleared to know. But Miss Ayanami here is in pretty good with the Commander so I figure the old guy will hand you my file if you ask him nicely, or meanly, clad in leather with a whip, whatever gets the tyrannical hipster off I guess."

"I understand, I will schedule a meeting with Commander Ikari on this issue." _'How did he know the Commander enjoyed the funk?'_

"I'm glad I could help sort that out for you Miss Ayanami."_ 'Oy, I know her file by heart, but she's just surreal in person to deal with.'_

"So you're going to our school now right? Where are you living?" Shinji put in.

"Well ya, I guess I will be around the school rather often, though much like our debonair cohort, I've already finished my formal education and then some, so I don't truly have to be there. As for my living conditions, they'll be very similar to yours Shinji, seeing as how I'm your new neighbor! Pardon my intrusion, but from your file you don't get along terribly well with our lovely aforementioned first child sometimes, you're free to come over to chillax if you need to get away sometimes. Part of my _Directive_ to help assure the psychological health of each pilot to make sure they are at top performance at all times. Or that's something like the crap in my orders. Honestly I've just been shuffled around to here because Section-2 is a little incompetent and there isn't a lot of use for me back in America anymore. I'd like to be your friend if that's alright with you, I shant know many other people here in Tokyo but a few, none of which are in my age group."

"Sure! You can be the _Fourth_ stooge if you want!"

"..._The what?_"

"Um oh ya, Asuka... Me, Touji, and Kensuke are the three stooges according to Asuka; it's a name that has relative sticking power in its short time. We could use a fourth... OH! And ya, that stuff with Asuka is getting better, I mean it sounds a bit like you've been..studying up on us abit. he he." (A slight feeling of unfortability rises in Shinji from what he said). "I think I'm getting better at dealing with her too."

"Neat, and really, it's just what I hear around here so... ya," Elric lied in an attempt to settle Shinji's apparent unease. In truth, Elric knew them top to bottom, at least in the manner of what you could read from psych profile and personal background histories. Not that it greatly affected how he approached any of them, he slated himself to act relatively normal as if they were just other people. People he should protect with his life that is. Really what he got from that stack of files on the three pilots was that: Rei Ayanami is sorta weird, get over it. Shinji Ikari is sorta a wuss, get over it. Asuka Langley Sohryu is sorta a bitch with ego issues, play off it. Really he had hoped this would be a period of semi-normalcy in his life, unfortunately because of his own issues, he should most the most of it and try hard to break-out of his often business-oriented shell.

"It's late, we should be going Rei before it gets too dark. I hope you two don't mind." Rei nodded in affirmation.

"No, no. Scamper home. You've been doing sync tests all day. You must be tired. We can talk tomorrow at school." Shinji hummed in positive to the proposal.

"Oh wait, I forgot." Elric took to shuffling materials in his backpack in the obvious pursuit of something. "Here we are! My card with personal phone number, I'd very much appreciate it if you entered it in your cell phone and memorized it immediately. Should you need any help or just want to chat with me. Another thing about that, calls to my phone go unmonitored, just so you know." Wink

"Oh, Arigatuo Kiirvaks-san." Shinji gave a casual bow of thanks.

"Just Elric if you don't mind.. Alright you two best be off then! Me and Kaji have some more business to attend to. Sayonara"

"Sayonara Elric!" Shinji and Rei moved away and silently out of the cafeteria as a cohesive pair towards the geofront elevators. When they finally left Elric looked around and noticed that he and Kaji were the only ones left, despite the aircraft-carrier-esque cafeteria being open 24/7 for NERV technicians, security and scientists. Kaji sat across from him positively musing.

"It's seems your insertion here has gone rather fluidly."

"I'd like to think so. Though..."

"Though...?"

"Well not so much in the negative, but I have a feeling the Miss Sohryu may want me positively dead already."

"Eh, It's not unusual, she wanted Shinji to vaporize before he ever even opened his mouth to say hello to her. But I think you left a good first impression. _You didn't show any fear!"_ Elric burst out laughing spitting water on the floor.

"_You say that like she's a man-eating beast who uses fear for sustenance! Heh heh._"

"Well she is! As much endearment I have for her she is quite the man-eater. Supercharged with a highly competitive with an unbalanced ego complex. _Plus she's German, that doesn't help anything!" _Kaji snickered to a bit of Elric's disapproval.

"_What's wrong with Germany?_ _Ya Jap_! Elric being 100 of German descent took feigned offense to the comment.

"Nothing if you like lederhosen and egregious amounts of beer."

"HAH! You're far more of a beer-fiend than anyone else around here! Maybe you have some German in you somewhere?"

"No, no, I'm just a real multi-cultural man you see!"

"Right."

"Besides Misato could give me a good run on the beer ingestion count. So how do you explain the lederhosen?" This prompted Elric into a short moment of silence trying to come up with a decent reply.

"AT LEAST WE DON'T HAVE PENIS AND RADISH FESTIVALS! In vue of that, I'd have to say the whole lederhosen thing is pretty quaint all in all."

"Touché young one." Though the young protégé did have something serious to say, and he said it suddenly once the laughter has dissipated.

"I'm going to need an injection soon. Probably in a little less than a week."

"I'll be here."

"What should I do when Rei peruses my real profile?"

"She's not the type to make a fuss over those things, she'll accept it, and probably keep it to herself entirely."

"Thanks Kaji."

"It's no problem kid, although, you know I might have to slip out on Misato for it. Which means..."

"Ya ya, I owe you one." They smiled in affirmation of their deep friendship. Mentor and student. The Hero and the victim whom was saved.

_VREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEMM VRROOOM PHHHH! _ Was all the driver in the green Buick heard as a small blue blur, quite possibly eliciting a small sonic boom blazed past him.

"Misato you are so full of shit! He saw me naked!"

"Oh bullshit Asuka you were clad in a towel the whole time!"

"So what! He's still having his hentai way with me in his head!"

"Shinji see's you in a towel all the time and he's not a pervert!" Misato gruffed out, a right sharp turn was coming up.. fast and there was no way she could really slow down enough for it, to keep Asuka conscious that is.

"I know but that's because he's hardly a man himself!"

SSSCCRRRR BUMP EEEEECCCCCCCCCHHHHHHH... Misato successfully pulled the turn out right and sighed relief, she took a quick glance over at her young companion but already knew from years of experience that she was out like a light, just as planned. _'Muahaha.'_

"HA! Serves you right for..." She paused thinking what Asuka had really done to deserve such an event but a reason, any reason soon popped into her pretty purple head. "..SITTING SO CLOSE TO THE DOOR! DUMBASS! HA!" Misato soothed into the silence enjoying the sound of her rubber on the pavement at more rpms than she could possibly count. _'Nothing beats experience,'_ she thought as she glanced at her work once more. 'No half-link teenager in their rice-rocket have got jack on me

HOLY CRAP THAT HURT! DAMMIT MISATO! WHY CAN'T YOU DRIVE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" Misato jumped in shock when her cohort reared her fiery, unfortunately conscious head at her.

"Oh I'm sorry Asuka; the turn just came up so quick!" '_How could she regain consciousness so fast? IT'S ALWAYS WORKED ON KAJI!' _It's not like she could call her guardian on it though, she was far too busy bitching and moaning to keep her eyes peeled.

"Ugh, just watch the damn road," Asuka advised before immediately starting into finding new topics to inquire to Misato's unwishfully sober mind. "WHYYY didn't you tell me about this Kiirvaks guy! He just popped out of nowhere today and apparently he's in NERV SO WHY THE HELL DIDN'T ANYONE TELL US PILOTS ABOUT HIM!"

"Weeelll, Rei for one, knows him, you could have asked her.."

"I DONT TALK TO WONDERGIRL!"

"WHY not? She's another pilot just like you!"

"So what! She's creepy as hell! And she's trying to act like Shinji's girlfriend or something and it's pissing me off!"

"Heh heh," Misato's eyes glaze over with their personality trait of initiating teasing. "Oh Asuka, Rei's trying to move in on your man is she? Heh heh."

"NO! HE'S NOT MY MAN! I don't want that baka are you kidding me?"

"Well it certainly sounds like it!"

"HE'S A SPINELESS WIMP!"

"HEY ASUKA! AFTER YOUR LAST ESCAPADE YOU SHOULDV'E LEARNED A THING OR TWO ABOUT HIM. He's not that spineless. He's a kind boy committed to selfless acts and all you do is pick on him even when those acts are for you! You should learn to count your fortunes like having him around. And besides... all this eva training has really got him filling out! I might make a pass at him if you or Rei doesn't! OH OH! Maya Ibuki is all over him when you aren't looking! HAHA!

"UGH!"

"You should learn to at least respect him as a fellow pilot, no more sarcastic great Shinji hero bullcrap. He pulls his weight plenty and trains hard just like you." Asuka paused in her fury for a couple moments and softened somewhat.

"I know he's a good pilot, BUT THAT'S IT! When he gets out of eva he just reverts back to being a wimp. It infuriates me!" She looks away from Misato out her window to the great city over the geofront.

"Though... he has made some progress with that lately. But with Wondergirl acted like his spider lady bodyguard lately... I don't know..."

You know, the number of his fan sites has doubled in the past month."

"Nani?"

"Oh you've all got them, Section-2 keeps an eye out on all of them though, to make sure any sensitive information doesn't get out you pilots or NERV.

"I knew I had them, but baka? HA!"

"You shouldn't underestimate him, hell, all of your immediate co-workers Asuka. There's a lot more to them than you think. You're life practically mirrors that of Shinji, and Elric." That made her eyes flick up.

"Their parents haven't been alive either for the majority of their life...Well. Shinji has his father but I think we can all agree he's probably worse than having no father at all. Shinji's mother died around the same time yours did. Elric's parents went before even yours. He's had it really rough, though it doesn't seem like you could ever tell except for that scar on his neck."

"HE SAID HE WASN'T A PILOT!"

"He isn't to my knowledge, but his profile is rather enigmatic and vague. He's a specially trained to do something though of which I'm not really sure. At least he has an existent profile for you to see. The commander keeps all sorts of shit hidden from us and the next person on the totem pole of information on him is Kaji. But I don't know much past that, Kaji will be around, I'll ask him then. Elric's whole arrival was pretty sudden and I wasn't aware of his coming here until today. That's another reason you weren't told."

"What do you mean coming here until today, you knew about him before?"

"Sure, but that's highly classified information and a lot of it I'm sure he would mind me telling you about without his knowledge. But I can tell you for the past couple of years he's been living solely at NERV America's 2nd Branch in Nevada, America, with the occasional visit to NERV's 1st Branch in Germany for the past couple years. I met him about 4 years ago. Bright kid." This was a lot of information for the red-head to be taking in at once, but at least she thought she might have a handle on getting down to who the hell the gray-haired boy was. "I've known Elric on an occasional basis longer than I have you or Shinji. He went through some particularly cruel things at the hands of humanity, and knowing how warm and understanding our _Fearless Leader_ is," she seethed with contempt," he is probably treated like a tool still today. It's a wonder he's come out the way he has, that boy is a testament to the human spirit. Though I doubt whether or not he remembers a lot of it, he was so young and practically drowning in drugs to kill the pain before Trier a... So I've heard anyways, I haven't seen him for a rather lengthy time, but I guess we'll all be seeing a lot of him now...

"Well okay, he's not a pilot but you're still Director of Operations. You ca.." Misato interrupted her assumption.

"He doesn't fall under my jurisdiction; he's being used as the Bastard King's toy when not on normal assignment."

"Which is?"

"Security." Asuka wasn't really dumbfounded; it was though, even in the midst of the obvious next questions to ask, hard to search for topics to speak of with much priority.

"So where'd all this interest in Shinji come from lately, seems a mite unusual for you to ask too much about him? Misato asked in a serious tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about Misato."

"Of course you do, though I know, Shinji lately has been getting a lot of interest lately..." Misato paused and waited for a response but none came. She felt like Asuka was still readily planning to undermine the boy so her rare, but serious maternalistic protection kicked in. " Shinji is my boy, even Asuka, I love him like he really is my son. I know you think I don't act like it but none of us are perfect. We've all had our little fuck-ups and still have plenty of problems, being the defenders of the world doesn't help anything either. Don't keep screwing with him like this. He's had so many of the pains that you have had and you make nothing of it. If you didn't know before then you know now. You, Elric, Shinji, and Rei are a little family of kids who've been majorly fucked over in life. Not to say you're the only one's out there like that, but something like that should create a more cohesive bond among you all. You've all been dealt some of the shitiest cards possible without the emotional excuse that your childhoods were taken away by the Second Impact; furthermore, you're all forced to live with a ridiculously huge burden. Let him go a while without the constant fear of you always putting him down for once."

Asuka, who had early made such a commitment that was interrupted continued staring out the window pondering the genuine maternal sentiments of the casually drunken, occasionally wise and protective Misato. Many moments passed before Misato pulled at a card to lighten up the atmosphere a little bit. _She doesn't like to do the emotional thing without 2 or 3 Yebisu first. Too bad her portable car refrigerator was empty._

"I SHOULD GIVE HER A PROMOTION! SHE DOES HER JOB SO CARINGLY AND I DON'T EVEN NOTICE! I can't believe I've been ignoring the quality of her work so long. What do you think?"

"I think you're kind of being a pussy." Flatly said by the man's assistant.

"You really think so?" He fearfully inquired.

"God yes. Go find your balls Sir, I think they must have rolled off into a corner somewhere."

"Screw you."

A silence of a minute went by, leaving only the sounds of the almost soap opera-like surveillance and that of hollow sounds of the grand, mostly empty room. The man of mystery suddenly made haste to break it.

"You hungry? I feel like pizza."

The man in his chair and his standing assistant to his right made direct eye contact.

"WITH MUSHROOMS!" They both yelped excitedly at the same time.

"Lieutenant Ibuki?"

"Oh Helloo..OH! You must be Specialist Elric Kiirvaks! The new transfer!"

"Correct Ibuki-san! I've come from America for permanent transference here at NERV Central."

"Kiirvaks-san, would you mind walking with me?" Indicating towards the Lab and Biomedical Research wing.

"No, no. Not at all. And please, Elric."

"Uh. Well.. I guess likewise then! "She stumbled. "I'm Maya." _'Americans are so informal, but I can't see the harm.'_

"I know, but a pretty name nonetheless." She blushed and gave a slight giggle of appreciation. Needless to say, Maya never got too many compliments.

"Hmm, Shinji was right. You are a bit of a charmer." Though Elric's eye flicked up at that, he was trained to catch details in the way people said things very carefully. Still, he responded in short order.

"Not really, my mentor is Kaji Ryouji, I think he just rubbed off on me a bit." He noted as if stating a fact. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise. _'He's the educational spawn of that man? Great, that's exactly what we need more of around here."_ She mentally noted in such a sarcastic fashion.

"I had to read a short profile on you since you were getting transferred here and would be working with the lab crew. But it didn't mention any specifics though. I had no idea you were Kaji's. Hmm. Well, anyway I was wondering while we're around another, what all are you assigned here for? If you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all, and to be honest, I'm not really sure of all the things I'll be doing as of yet, and the things I do know tend to loiter at a high classification. But for the immediate moment I'm charged with security, most specifically the protection of the 2nd and 3rd Child, Shinji-kun and Miss Sohryu."

"Why not Ayanami-san as well?"

"Ayanami-san is well capable of taking care of herself; she's at a much lower priority of protection as a result, despite her overall material importance to the organization. I have confidence in her abilities personally though."

"I didn't know she was so capable of defending herself! Or is it because she doesn't mind having more security than the others?"

"Actually she has less security than the other pilots, she can protect herself against threats you couldn't imagine just from looking at her small frame."

"Wow, I didn't know that. It's nice that we have some fresh blood around here. NERV is a relatively exclusive and demanding organization so we don't get a lot of outside interaction."

"Ha, you're tellin' me." They shared a small laugh together.

"Your profile said you were a Command Technician and Analysis/Computer Specialist, and it put a lot of emphasis of your interaction with the Tokyo-3 MAGI system. But a couple points in there lead me to believe you're.. Doctor Akagi's personal assistant too. Is that true?"

"Yes, Akagi Sempai directly oversees me and directs my work with the MAGI. We don't ever say system around here, it's just the MAGI."

"Outstanding. I was wondering if you could help me then, especially since we're heading in the right direction I guess."

"Certainly."

"Okay well Doctor Akagi has something I need, probably in her biomedical lab. A special injection and biofilter, it probably has my name imprinted on it. My previous one is expended and I believe I'll be needing a new one soon. I would of course ask her, but she seems to be at home. And it's not really something that can wait." Maya Ibuki's eye rose at those words. _'What the hell is that?'_

"Um ya sure. But ah. Well the brief on you didn't say much, can I see your NERV ID to check your clearance?"

"Certainly." He replied and quickly slipped from between his fingers amazingly fast to Maya.

"Ei! er, Thanks." Catching the card in midair. She swiped it through her PDA slide and handed the card back to its owner. The screen lit up her face in a blue glow as the information on the boy ran across the screen in but a moment. _'Hmm, Maya Ibuki is quite a looker, very innocent seeming too, perhaps...' _Elric's pondering interrupted.

"Ya, ha ha, you definitely have clearance for us just to grab it for you. You know, I wouldn't want Akagi-sempai to rip my head off or anything?" She giggled out.

"Fantastic. Doctor Akagi is pretty hard on you?"

"Oh no no, well, well it depends what we're doing you know. It's very challenging work here, but personally no, I love working with her, even if she's a mite.."

"Secretive?"

"Ya that's it!.. Do you know her well?"

"Well enough, she's the one who created the filter for me and all. She probably has a stack of papers in a file cabinet on me somewhere in her office."

"Oh, um here we are." She stopped to swipe her card through the reader to the side of the door. The light went from red to green and the pneumatic device automatically opened the door for the pair. She sat down at Ritsuko's computer to run a search for what cabinet the strange device was in. "1A4. It must be that thing wrapped in white in the case over there."

"Brilliant. Thanks so much." Maya moved from the chair to recover the device by unlocking the mini-lock on the case."

"So what exactly is this thing Elric-kun?"

"Oh well, uh. It's a sort of a cellular renewal device, to stem off an accident a couple years ago." He said just a little quietly. "I don't have a disease or anything."

"I see. It must have been a pretty bad accident; I've never seen anything like this."

"I don't actually remember much of it. Just numbness and a lot of lights."

"Is that were your scar there came from?"

"No, this is a gunshot wound."

"I see. I'm sorry for both."

"Hey, it's nothing." _'Still, I don't know if you'd much appreciate me asking about it anymore just after meeting. What a difficult life you must have had.' _She thought to her self.

"So I noticed when I scanned your card you graduated from the American West Point Military Academy but under something called a special program."

"Ya, but I can't much talk about the content of it. Really I didn't spend that more than a year on that, I just took a lot of tests and did a lot of physical training and some other things. What about you?"

"Oh I graduated from an accelerated PhD track from Tokyo University a few years ago. I was picked up by Doctor Akagi maybe a year ago."

"Wow, a PhD already! You look so young."

"I'm 22. Thank you." She blushed. "But honestly, well-rounded educations and elective courses at the time were luxuries of now and the pre-Second Impact world. After I took the assessment tests, I was rushed along a straight and hyper-focused track, specifically towards what I'm doing today here at NERV with Doctor Akagi. Because of the extreme situation, the government simply couldn't wait to do it any other way in order to keep some semblance of stability. There are probably a lot of other people out there like me."

"Still, you must be intensely bright, especially at your age to have all these achievements. And of a particular magnitude. Of them, only you work with Doctor Akagi, in one of the world's premier technology positions."

"Please stop flattering me Mister Kiirvaks, I can only take so much! What about you Kiirvaks-san?"

"Eh, I've been doing all this since before I can remember. Hell, I've been a part of NERV slash Gehirn as long as Miss Sohryu has."

"Heh, being a part of NERV all your life hasn't turned you into a hot-head like her. I guess your mother must have kept you in line. Ha ha."

"No, no. Both of my parents have been dead since before I became apart of NERV."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry I didn't mean.. know.." Elric made sure to make steady eye-contact, so she wouldn't feel bad about the mistake.

"Hey, it's nothing. No offense taken." He shrugged the comment off. "But I know what you meant. Although I actually I think that maybe she just needs someone she can really connect with you know. The life has been rough, lonely, and constantly competitive. The ego is a protection device. She just needs her wall broken a little bit and filled in with some reassurance. I can much figure it from my own experience." "With the burden's we're all facing, it'd be a lot easier if we had someone to share some of the pain with, if not at least stave off the thankless loneliness of this job." Maya smiled warmly at the thoughtful sentiment.

"You know, I think you probably hit the nail on the head there Elric." He grinned nervously and shrugged off the affirmation. Maya didn't however, fail to notice. She bid to lighten the mood a notch. "But you know she's still definitely a bitch"

"Oh ya. No. Definitely a bitch." They shared an evil snicker.

_ To be continued.._

Author's Note

Right well if I can get some encouragement I have some ideas to play out, drumming the next few chapters in something quite a bit more serious temporarily as well as quite long for each one. More so than this one. There will still be elements of comedy, and they will return in force, and make sense in all of the new chapters because I'm actually thinking about it. That is, if people want more chapters. If they don't, screw it. I have some school papers to write.

_ Ghengis _2006年 3月 29号


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